Beijing, Oct 30: The Chinese government has asked its massive military industries to venture into manufacturing more civilian products, including automobiles and contribute to the growth of the national economy. Military industries, with their advanced science and technologies, should play an increasingly important role in bolstering the development of the national economy as well as in upgrading and updating traditional industries, Minister of the State Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, Zhang Yunchuan said.
The government has shifted its emphasis in military industries to manufacturing products for civilian use.
After over 20 years of growth, military industries have developed their own processes for the research and development of civilian products, Zhang said.
Official statistics indicate that from January to September, sales revenues of civilian products made by military industrial enterprises topped 85.9 billion Yuan (10.35 billion US dollars), up 37.5 per cent compared with the figures for the same period last year.
Auto manufacturing by military industries also showed a steady growth, with 540,000 cars being sold from January to September, a 12.3 per cent rise compared with figures for the same period last year.
Bureau Report