Hefei (China), Sep 19 (IANS): China's first self-developed 8.5 generation TFT-LCD panel, or thin-film transistor liquid crystal display panel, rolled off the production line in Bengbu in east China's Anhui Province, paving the way for mass production.

TFT-LCD is a key strategic material of the electronic information display industry. An 8.5 generation TFT-LCD panel, with a length of 2.5 meters and width of 2.2 meters, can produce six screens of 55 inches, according to its manufacturer, the Bengbu Glass Industry Design and Research Institute of the China National Building Material Group Company, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

The core technology of the high-definition LCD screen has long been monopolised by a few foreign enterprises.

The Chinese optoelectronic display industry has developed rapidly in recent years and the country has become the world's largest manufacturing base for display terminals. Many Chinese TV panel manufacturers have established a number of 8.5 generation TFT-LCD production lines.

China's annual demand for 8.5 generation TFT-LCD, or above, has reached 380 million square meters. The mass production of the self-developed TFT-LCD screens will end the country's complete dependence on other countries for the technology and products, the manufacturer said.