BEIJING, May 18 (Xinhua) -- The State Council, China's
Cabinet, Monday announced that it would endeavor to create 3 million new jobs in
light industry in the coming three years by boosting domestic demand.
The State Council in February unveiled initial plans to
boost light industry in a bid to buoy the economy together with the
4-trillion-yuan (586 billion U.S. dollars) stimulus package presented in
November and nine other specific industry stimulus plans including
petrochemicals, textiles and other sectors.
The General Office of the State Council presented the
detailed light industry stimulus plans Monday on its Chinese website www.gov.cn.
The government would give financing support to small and
medium-sized light industry companies with good development potential in a bid
to create more jobs, according to the plan.
The industrial output of the light industry stood at 2.62
trillion last year, accounting for 8.7 percent of GDP. Total exports reached
309.2 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 21.7 percent of the national total
last year.
The production volumes of more than 100 types of Chinese
light industry products, including home appliances, plastics, furniture and
others were the world's highest.
The industry employed around 35 million workers by the end
of 2008.
Chinese light industry has felt the pinch from the global
economic downturn and waning export demands.
Since Feb. 1, an estimated 900 million Chinese rural
residents were eligible for a rebate of 13 percent on the prices of home
appliances, in a move by the government to boost domestic sales of light
industry products.
These products include color TV sets, refrigerators,
freezers, mobile phones, washing machines, computers, water heaters,
motorcycles, air conditioners and others.
"China will beef up efforts to bolster innovation and
industrial upgrading of the light industry, aiming to foster 10 light industry
conglomerates whose annual sales will exceed 15 billion yuan," according to the
plan.
In addition, the government wants firms across the country
to make existing facilities and production processes more environmentally
friendly.
The government ordered companies to improve the light
industry's products mix and reduce its pollutant discharge. Chemical oxygen
demand (COD) must be cut by 10 percent or 255,000 tonnes by 2011 from the 2007
level. Waste water discharge will be reduced by 29 percent, or 1.95 billion
tonnes by 2011 from the 2007 level, according to the Monday’s plan.
"China would eliminate outdated production capacity of 30
million units of low-efficient refrigerators and freezers, 600 million units of
incandescent bulbs and others," the plans stated.
The government will also step up efforts on improving
product quality and is scheduled to formulate 450 new industry standards by 2011
in areas including food additives, meat products, wine making, dairy products,
beverages, furniture and others, according to the plan.
BEIJING, May 18 (Xinhua) -- China plans to raise its annual crude oil processing capacity to 405 million tonnes by 2011, the State Council, or the Cabinet, said on Monday in its restructuring and stimulus plans for the petrochemical industry.
That would represent an increase of about 18.4 percent over its processing volume last year, which topped 342.1 million tonnes, according to the January figures from the National Bureau of Statistics. Full story
BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The State Council, or China's
Cabinet, announced plans to boost the country's light industry and petrochemical
sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy.
The country will lift processing trade restrictions
on some labor-intensive, technology-intensive, energy-efficient, and
environment-friendly products, according to an executive meeting of the State
Council on Thursday. Full story
