BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Haier Electronics Group, one of China's biggest home appliance manufacturers, has announced exports of one billion U.S. dollars in the first six months, up 41.6 percent from the first half of last year.

    The group, based in the coastal city of Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province, attributed the export surge to expansion of overseas markets, especially in the United States, Europe, and southeast Asia, the Beijing-based Economic Daily reported on Wednesday.

    Customs statistics showed dramatic rise in Haier's exports of refrigerators, televisions and computers in the first half, while exports of cell phones were up 794 percent from the same period last year.