China is set to increase the promotion, over the next few years, of its semiconductor lighting program as an energy saving measure. An important leap forward has been the development of a new industrial base in Xia' men. China now has four such bases.

Xiamen saw the opening ceremony of the industrial base on Tuesday. The East coast city, in Fujian Province, faces Taiwan Island across the Taiwan Strait. Close trade with and proximity to the island were the deciding factors in the base's location.

Liao Xiaohan, deputy director of Hi-Tech Dept., Ministry of Science and Technology, said, "Taiwan is ranked number two in the semiconductor industry worldwide. The cooperation across the Strait will be beneficial for both regions."

The other three industrial bases are in Dalian, Shanghai and Nanchang.

Statistics show that last year, China consumed around 200 billion kilowatts of electricity for lighting alone. Experts say the use of light-emitting diodes or LEDs can save as much as 70 percent of that energy used.

(CCTV April 15, 2004)