China's leading household electric appliance maker Hisense says the production of television sets at its South Africa branch will double following a 19-million-dollar expansion of its plant there.

After the expansion, Hisense will be able to produce 400,000 color televisions, 300,000 refrigerators and 100,000 washing machines annually, said Yu Youhai, Vice Chairman of Board of Hisense's branch in South Africa.

The company was encouraged to expand its presence in Africa following the China-Africa Cooperation Forum last November, which was the largest gathering of Chinese and African leaders in history.

The construction of the industrial zone in which the new Hisense plant will be built is to be completed by the end of 2009, the company said.

Ninety percent of Hisense's employees in South Africa are locals, who now produced 200,000 color TVs per year.

Since the Hisense Group launched its first production line in South Africa in 1997, its operations there have maintained annual production, sales and profit growth averaging 20-30 percent.

In 2006, the South Africa branch of Hisense registered sales income of 47 million U.S. dollars, with profit of 1.26 million dollars.