Qiu Baoxing, vice minister of Construction, has underlined the importance of promoting energy efficiency in a large number of new buildings in China.

Approximately 2 billion square meters of floor area was being constructed annually, accounting for half of the world's total, Qiu said on Thursday at a press conference given by the Information Office of the State Council.

Energy efficiency in 40 billion square meters of buildings is not just related to China's energy strategies, and even sustainable development, but also to the world's economy and climate changes, he said.

"There is a great opportunity to make energy more efficient within construction and it is important to raise public awareness and to establish laws and regulations," Qiu said, echoing the remarks made by Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan earlier this year.

Qiu said the Ministry of Construction will map out new policies, while local government is being urged to put forward feasible rules and regulations, covering preferential tax treatment and subsidies for energy-saving projects.

China will implement 100 energy-efficient pilot projects nationwide in the coming few years.

Qiu said work should be done to spread the use of energy-saving technologies and tighten supervision over new construction.

Source: Xinhua