Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan called for speeding up the optimization of the industrial structure Thursday.

Zeng made the remarks at the founding of the China council for the promotion of industrial development, expressing his hope that the council can act as a bridge for communications among governments and enterprises, implement China's industry polices and help the optimization of the industrial structure.

"The coming five years are an important period for building a comparatively well-off society. We should speed up the upgrading of the industrial structure," he said.

"We should strengthen the change of modern agriculture from traditional one; develop advanced manufacturing and the hi-tech industry; rely on innovation; promote clean energy systems and the rational extraction of mineral resources; and expand production and market-oriented service sectors," he said.

"Those companies that do harm to the environment should be shut down," he stressed.

He urged the council to assist the government in implementing policies and promote cooperation and exchanges between Chinese companies and their foreign counterparts.

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2006)