Similar to the standardization efforts undertaken by a consortium of South Korean network operators, the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry has announced that it will be setting a national standard for mobile phone charger connectors for handsets in the country. Unlike the South Korean efforts, where one of the primary aims was to increase accessory sales, the Chinese government says the plan is designed to cut electronic waste from its more than 450 million phone service subscribers.

Currently, as with other parts of the world, chargers are packaged with every new mobile phone in China, and users often dispose of chargers when purchasing a new handset. Under the new scheme, manufacturers are expected to change sales strategy and not bundle chargers, eliminating the waste generated from up to 100 million phone replacements every year.

While no deadline for the change has been set, the Ministry of Information Industry says the standardization could save handset manufacturers nearly 2.4 billion Yuan (approximately US$300 million) each year. The standardized charger will also include a USB connector, allowing users to recharge handsets with a desktop PC or notebook computer