TAIYUAN - A leading Chinese manufacturer said Wednesday that it has clinched its first export deal for an excavator billed as the world's largest, according to a company spokesman.

A spokesman for Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group Co Ltd said the 1,800-ton excavator was ordered by a Chilean firm.

Established in 1950 in north China's Shanxi province, the company has sold excavators and other heavy machinery to a dozen countries, including Russia, Peru, India and South Africa.