Chinese exporters at Asia's largest trade fair expect orders for made-in-China products to remain resilient for the rest of the year and even grow slightly despite shrivelling demand from debt-stricken Europe and the strengthening of the yuan.

A Reuters poll of 85 small to medium-sized exporters at China's Canton Fair found that while around a quarter of firms surveyed expected orders to drop this year, overall, orders were seen rising an average 4% in 2012 and 7.4% in 2013.

The results are reflected in China's trade data in September which showed exports growing 9.9% year-on-year, almost twice the rate expected, while imports returned to expansion after a period in the doldrums. Chinese officials have warned, however, it was just one month's data and not enough to predict a trend.

Forty-six per cent of those polled across a range of sectors including chemicals, machinery, electronics, household appliances, construction materials and computing hardware, were optimistic about their prospects, while 41% were neutral and 13% pessimistic.