SHANGHAI - A leading Chinese photoelectric cable manufacturer has exported its submarine optic fiber cables to the United States and Italy, the first time for this China-made hi-tech product to enter the European and American markets.

The total length of the submarine optic fiber cables in the world has exceeded 1 million km since the first such cable was laid in 1985, but production of the hi-tech equipment has long been dominated by a few businesses in France, the United States and Japan, said Xue Jiping, board chairman of the Shanghai-headquartered Zhongtian Technology Group.

"We have invested hundreds of millions of yuan over the past five years in solving many technical issues put forth by our international clients in the production of submarine optic fiber cables," he said.

The company's cables were sold to a telephone company in Alaska and an offshore oil platform project in Italy, he said.

The total length of the exported cables reached more than 230 km with a value of more than $40 million, he added.