German mining equipment manufacturers will continue their good and fruitful cooperation with the mining industry in China as its exports to the country have risen during the first half of the year, said Paul Rheinlaender, chairman of the VDMA Mining Equipment Association, on Tuesday in Beijing.

Rheinlaender made the comments at the China Coal & Mining Expo 2013 held from Oct 2 to 26.

He said during the first seven months of the year, German sales in the mining equipment sector increased by nearly 20 percent to 1.315 billion euros ($1.8 billion).

“We hope to reach again the good export figures we saw in the past. But this appears ambitious against the background of the decline of coal production in China and the stagnation in the steel market,” Rheinlaender said.

VDMA stands for German Engineering Federation and represents around 3,100 manufacturers of capital goods in Germany and Europe.

The Mining Equipment Association within VDMA consists of 130 mining equipment manufacturers, who offer equipment for underground mining, open cast mining, processing as well as components, accessories, engineering and consulting. The export quota is 92 percent, and the main markets are China, the United States and Russia.

During this year's China Coal & Mining Expo, about 50 German manufacturers of mining equipment including ThyssenKrupp Ressource Technology, Takraf, Siemag Tecberg and Eickhoff, attended the expo, showcasing the latest technology.