Over 2,600 enterprises were closed down for having caused serious environmental pollution and violated industrial policies in 2005, according to a white paper entitled "Environmental Protection in China (1996-2005)" issued Monday by the Information Office of the State Council.

The white paper also says during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period (1996-2000), the State closed down 84,000 small enterprises that had caused both serious waste and pollution.

In the period 2001-2004, the State, on three occasions in a run, issued directories listing the backward production capabilities, technologies and products that should be eliminated, and more than 30,000 enterprises that had wasted resources and caused serious pollution were winnowed out, says the white paper.

Eight industries that consumed large amounts of resources and caused serious environmental pollution, i.e., those producing iron and steel, cement, electrolytic aluminum, iron alloy, calcium carbide, coking, saponin and chromic salt, were rectified, and the construction of over 1,900 projects was either stopped or postponed.

The white paper says the State has developed a cyclical economy. So far, over 5,000 enterprises in the sectors of chemicals, light industry, power-generating, coal, machinery, and building materials have passed the examination for clean production.

More than 12,000 enterprises across China have received the ISO14000 Environmental Management System certification.

More than 800 enterprises and over 18,000 products of diverse types and specifications have received environmental labeling certification. Their annual output value is worth 60 billion yuan, the paper says.

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