Xu Kuangdi, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC ) and President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in Shanghai yesterday that China's energy consumption which ranks the 2nd in the world but only less than half of the world's average and one-tenth of the US in terms of per capita poses no threat to the world at all.

His remarks were echoed by Zhou Dadi, director of Energy Institute with the National Development and Reform Commission, who insisted in the same occasion that the oil price surge on the international market was driven by multi-factors and countries in the world should seek for cooperation and win-win results. He confirmed nuclear power would play an important role in China's strategy of development of new energy.

Xu noted that according to the rough calculation, the 15 major developed economies with one-eighth of the world's population swallowed half of the world's mineral resources and were responsible for 80 percent of the global pollution.

China has fast growing massive demand for energy and its present phase of development means higher energy consumption per unit compared with developed nations, Xu said. He stressed that China's efforts and progress on energy saving had been recognized by international organizations including the International Energy Agency (IEA). Now its every 1000 USD GDP costs some 0.2 tons of oil, down from 0.6 tons in the past.

Xu highlighted that the country must make the oil-saving strategy as the fundamental policy. In the mean time, he said, China should explore diversified oil and gas supply source and transportation through active participation into the world oil trade.

He saw other stumbling stones on the sustainability of China's energy development, such as the environment, scientific innovation and management. He released that China was striving to reduce its oil consumption by 50 percent by 2020.

The market, he said, should work effectively to allocate the resources and price tools will be used to affect consumers' behaviors. The linear economy, he concluded, must be replaced by cyclic economy.

By People's Daily Online