BEIJING, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China's light industry expanded steadily, with output continuing to grow, according to the China National Light Industry Council.

In 2024, China had 140,000 light-industry enterprises exceeding the designated size, which provided 17.92 million jobs.

The sector's exports reached 925.4 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 25.9 percent of the country's total export value and ranking first among all industries for the fifth consecutive year.

The structure of China's light industry is being steadily upgraded, with smart appliances, new-energy batteries, electric bicycles and other emerging segments expanding rapidly, said Zhang Chonghe, head of the council.

China aims to increase the operating revenue of its light industry to over 30 trillion yuan (about 4.22 trillion U.S. dollars) by 2030, representing an average annual growth rate of at least 5 percent.

The number of key national laboratories and engineering research centers in the sector is expected to exceed 300 by 2030, while valid invention patents are anticipated to grow by an average of 15 percent annually, according to Zhang. ■