CHINA’S top economic planner pledged Tuesday to continue cutting steel and coal production, which have been a source of trade friction with many countries.

    China reached targets for cuts in production capacity last year, said Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, adding that hundreds of thousands of steel and coal workers have been transferred to other jobs. Other industries such as cement and glass are also “actively” cutting capacity, Xu said at a news conference.

    Chinese leaders say they are working to roll back production and shutter unprofitable and debt-laden producers that are a drag on China’s economy itself.

    Xu said cutting production capacity of steel by 45 million tons and coal by 250 million tons in 2016 affected the jobs of 800,000 steelworkers and miners, with the government resettling 700,000 of them in new jobs by the end of last year.

    “This year’s task will be more arduous but we will adhere to the main line,” he said.

    (SD-Agencies)