China will offer 600 million yuan in subsidies to promote the use of energy-saving lighting products, in a move to cut the nation's carbon emissions.

The subsidy will result in 120 million units of energy-efficient lighting products being put into use, saving about 6.2 billion kilowatts of electricity, the government estimated in a statement.

China subsidiaries of companies including Philips Electronics NV and Panasonic Corp were among 23 companies that will participate in the program.  Beijing expects the program will help offset emissions of 6.2 millions tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and 62,000 tons of sulfur dioxide.

The threat of global warming is driving Beijing to take a series of initiatives to restrain the country's greenhouse gas emissions by factories, power plants and vehicles.

China, the world's third-largest economy, is the top greenhouse gas polluter, experts say, and its emissions of the main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, are projected to keep rising.