China is drafting a long-term development plan to build the country into one of the world’s packaging giants. That was disclosed by Che Xiangfu, deputy secretary-general of the China Packaging Technology Association, at an ongoing fair for the equipment manufacturing business in west China, held in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province.
According to Che, China hopes to develop its own core packaging technologies and packaging brands in 20 to 30 years. The packaging industry has been developing rapidly in China, and now employs three million people. The industry’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has risen steadily.
However, its development has been plagued by such factors as limited scale, backward technology, shortage of capital and low productivity. Up to now, the country has had no modern packaging machines, materials or patented products but has had to rely on imports for advanced technology, machines and luxury packaging materials.
Meanwhile, existing rules and regulations involving packaging are far from ideal and research into packaging standards had lagged behind, said Che.
He urged preferential treatment for such aspects as taxation, funding scientific research and increased training to promote the fast development of the country’s packaging industry.