BEIJING -- The value of China's imports and exports of nonferrous metals continued to increase during the first two months of the year, but the growth rate slowed dramatically, reflecting a gloomy world economy.

Total imports and exports reached $ 24.71 billion, 8.7 percent higher than during the same period last year, according to Jia Mingxing, secretary-general of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association.

However, the growth rate for imports and exports in the first two months dropped 20.5 percent year-on-year and will likely continue to slow down because of the global economy, Chen Quanxun, chairman of the association, said on Wednesday.

The value of China's imports and exports of nonferrous metals in 2011 was more than $160 billion, with a 28 percent growth rate year-on-year.

The volume of ten nonferrous metals including copper, aluminum, lead, zinc, nickel, tin, antimony, magnesium, titanium, and mercury -- reached 34.38 million tons, an increase of 9.8 percent.

Chen estimated that in 2012, the average annual price of nonferrous metals may be slightly lower than in 2011, but said production in China will maintain steady growth. Domestic demand for nonferrous metals will continue to grow as well, he said.

The association intends to promote the use of aluminum in the transportation sector in order to increase domestic demand for aluminum, he added.