'No plans to close factories in Guangdong'

Authorities in Guangdong will not "intentionally" close labor-intensive firms, as they play an important role in the province, Governor Huang Huahua said on Friday.

"Under the current economic situation, labor-intensive firms are a necessary part of the industrial structure," he told reporters on the sidelines of the National People's Congress session in Beijing.

Reports last year said a large number of such firms in Guangdong, especially in the Pearl River Delta, would face closure as the province sought to introduce more hi-tech companies.