Chinese cartoon character Blue Cat will appear at China's first State-level cartoon exposition to boost the development of the fledgling domestic cartoon industry.

The Blue Cat, a homemade cartoon brand, a rival of Mickey Mouse, is set to embrace the first international cartoon exposition in China, scheduled to take place on June 1 in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang Province, said Yi Zhaoyuan, director of the publicity department of Changsha in Hunan Province.

The Blue Cat cartoon series, created by Sunchime Cartoon Group, based in Changsha, has been exported to the United States for US$1 million and is likely to export to Israel and Peru next month, said Leng Xujia, vice-president of the group.

Last year, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television assumed a positive posture toward the cartoon industry by setting up a number of national animation industry bases and approving three cartoon channels to encourage development and investment in animation films.

Source: Xinhua