South Korean companies operating in China registered worse performances in 2011 than a year ago due to sluggish exports and fiercer competition in the world’s No. 2 economy, a poll said Monday.

According to the survey by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 44.5 percent of 201 Korean firms operating in China said their sales this year rose 5 percent or higher from a year ago.

Last year, 61.8 percent of surveyed companies responded that their sales had climbed 10 percent or more on-year.

According to the latest findings, 30.5 percent saw their sales drop 5 percent or more this year, while 18 percent said their 2011 sales were similar to those of last year.

Only 30 percent said their operating profit rose at least 5 percent from a year ago, compared with 39.8 percent that answered their operating profit increased 10 percent or higher on-year in the 2010 survey.

The lackluster performances were attributed to sluggish exports to China stemming from the U.S. and European debt crisis, and fiercer competition in the Chinese market affected by tightened regulations and increasing labor costs, according to the poll. 

(Yonhap News)