Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan speaks at the China Development
Forum in Beijing March 18, 2007. [Xinhua]
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The country last year used 15
percent of the energy consumed in the world to produce 5.5 percent of global GDP
an untenable situation that cannot sustain growth, senior Chinese leaders warned
March 18 in Beijing.
They said that if the current growth pattern based on high consumption of
energy and resources is not changed, the Chinese economy may begin to stutter.
"Serious environmental and resources constraints, irrational industrial
structure, and development gaps between urban and rural areas as well as between
regions make it imperative to accelerate change of the growth model in pursuit
of sustainable development," said Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan at the opening
session of China Development Forum.
The two-day forum is organized by the China Development Research Foundation
for high-level discussions among policy-makers, researchers and business leaders
on China's transition toward a new development model.
The vice-premier promised more reforms of pricing mechanisms and tax
incentives as well as increased efforts to encourage energy saving and
environmental protection.
Ma Kai, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, said:
"The overall growth of the Chinese economy is inspiring, but one of the worries
is that we have paid too dear an environmental and resources price for such
growth."
The economy grew by 10.7 percent last year while profits soared and inflation
stayed low. But low efficiency in use of energy and resources is still a
problem, Ma pointed out.
The country's GDP reached $2.16 trillion last year, about 5.5 percent of the
world's total GDP. At the same time, the country accounted for about 15 percent
of the world's energy consumption, using 30 percent of steel and 54 percent of
cement.
The reasons for low energy efficiency include accelerated industrialization
and urbanization, energy-and-resource-intensive production during the course of
economic globalization, and the extensive growth pattern of the national
economy, according to Ma.
"We are keenly aware that if the country's growth pattern is not changed as
soon as possible, though the Chinese economy can maintain rapid growth for a
period, it will not sail well and sail far," warned Ma.
Participants at the forum also emphasized the need for China to focus more on
boosting domestic demand.
China's rapid economic growth has so far largely been fuelled by sizzling
export and investment growth.
Stephan Roach, chief economist of Morgan Stanley, said a successful
re-balancing of the economy is needed if the nation is to reduce pollution
generated by high-energy consuming industries.