China, the world's biggest producer of metals, will move to cap the production capacity of refined lead and zinc by 2010, its latest efforts to curb excessive investment growth, The Standard reported. The government wants to cap annual capacity of refined lead to four million tonnes and that of zinc to five million tonnes by closing polluting plants and restricting new projects, the State Administration of Taxation said in a statement Tuesday. It wants producers to secure raw materials overseas to meet demand and boost use of recycled metals to about a third of its total demand. China is the world's biggest user of lead and zinc, said the paper. The price of lead, used in car batteries, has surged almost 50 percent, and zinc has more than doubled in the past year on the London Metal Exchange as demand from automobile makers rises. Record profits prompted producers such as Huludao Zinc Industry to add capacity, adding to concerns over inflation and declining reserves. China will ban foreign investment in projects that use outdated technology and are polluting. It will restrict lending and use of land for smaller lead and zinc smelters.