China's high-tech industrial output was likely to hit 3.2 trillion yuan (about 400 billion U.S. dollars) in 2005, a surge from 1.23 trillion yuan in 2001, a recent National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) report said.

China's high-tech industrial output was estimated to have almost tripled in the past five years, playing a more tangible role in boosting economic and social development, the report said.

China has turned out to be a key manufacturer of electronics information and other high-tech goods, the report said.

High-tech exports jumped to 165.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2004 from 46.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2001, and the figure was believed to have reached roughly 215 billion U.S. dollars in 2005.

The National Bureau of Statistics said high-tech industries contributed to at least 6 percent of China's GDP and a quarter of the total industrial output in recent years.

A series of preferential policies have been issued to underpin the growth of software and integrated circuit industries as well as reform of telecommunications and postal services.

Source: Xinhua