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 (US$586 billion) 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 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 US$309.2 billion, 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 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"China would eliminate outdated production capacity of 30 million units of low-efficient refrigerators and freezers, 600 million units of incandescent bulbs and others," the plans stated.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.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2009)