Special 'green' fund for SMEs

BEIJING - China will set aside 10.6 billion yuan as a special fund to help the country's small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to cut down their carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption this year.

The news was announced by an official of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology during an industrial forum last week in Beijing.

Because more than 50 per cent of industrial emissions are from SMEs in China, the Chinese government said it would step up efforts to close down those that pollute heavily and those with outdated technology. It would help certain manufacturers to embrace environmentally-friendly technology, said Chen Xin, a division director of the ministry, during the meeting.