New deadlines to cut outdated production capacity

BEIJING -- China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Monday publicized a list of companies required to stick to a deadline in eliminating outdated production capacities.

The list marks the second batch of companies required to remove and permanently scrap their out-of-date production capacities this year.

The second batch of companies on the list all belong to the paper making sector. The ministry in July publicized its first batch of companies, totaling more than 1,400 in a wide array of sectors including steel, coke, ferro-alloy, cement and paper making.

Companies on the lists have until the end of September to shut down outdated production capacities; they should also permanently remove those obsolete capacities by the end of the year, according to the ministry.

To further cut excess of production capacities and cope with air pollution, the government will enhance efforts and speed up the process in scrapping obsolete capacities during the years through 2015, Minister Miao Wei said.

China faces a big issue in excess production capacities. Miao said that the country has stepped up efforts in recent years to eliminate outdated production capacities, but that the addition of new capacities has out-paced the removal of old ones, and the situation remains challenging.