November 17 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States
singed a joint statement here Tuesday after talks between Chinese President Hu
Jintao and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama, agreeing that "the
transition to a green and low-carbon economy is essential."
Both
China
and the
United States
believed the clean energy industry will provide vast opportunities for citizens
of both countries in the years ahead, said the statement signed during Obama' s
first visit to
China
since taking office in January.
According to the statement, the two sides
welcomed significant steps forward to advance policy dialogue and practical
cooperation on climate change, energy and the environment, building on the
China-U.S. Memorandum of Understanding to Enhance Cooperation on Climate
Change, Energy and Environment announced at the first round of China-U.S.
Strategic and Economic Dialogues in July and formally signed during Obama' s
visit.
The statement said both sides recognized the
importance of the Ten Year Framework on Energy and Environment Cooperation
(TYF) and are committed to strengthening cooperation in promoting clean air,
water, transportation, electricity, and resources conservation.
Through a new China-U.S. Energy Efficiency
Action Plan under the TYF, both countries "will work together to achieve
cost-effective energy efficiency improvement in industry, buildings and
consumer products through technical cooperation, demonstration and policy
exchanges," said the statement.
Noting both countries' significant investment
in energy efficiency, the two Presidents underscored the enormous opportunities
to create jobs and enhance economic growth brought by energy savings.
The two countries welcomed the signing of the
Protocol Between the Ministry of Science and Technology, National Energy
Administration of the People's Republic of
China
and the Department of Energy of the
United States
of America
on a
Clean
Energy
Research
Center
,
according to the document.
The Center will facilitate joint research and
development on clean energy by scientists and engineers from both countries. It
will have one headquarters in each country, with public and private funding of
at least 150 million U.S. dollars over five years split evenly between the two
countries. Priority topics to be addressed will include energy efficiency in
buildings, clean coal (including carbon capture and sequestration), and clean
vehicles.
The two sides welcomed the launch of China-U.S.
Electric Vehicles Initiative designed to put millions of electric vehicles on
the roads of both countries in the years ahead, the statement said.
Building on significant investments in electric
vehicles in both the United States and China, the two governments announced a
program of joint demonstration projects in more than a dozen cities, along with
work to develop common technical standards to facilitate rapid scale-up of the
industry, the statement said, adding that the two sides agreed that their
countries share a strong common interest in the rapid deployment of clean
vehicles.
About 21st century coal technologies, the two
countries agreed to promote cooperation on large-scale carbon capture and
sequestration (CCS) demonstrations projects and begin work immediately on the
development, deployment, diffusion and transfer of CCS technology. The two
sides welcomed recent agreements between Chinese and
U.S.
companies, universities and
research institutions to cooperate on CCS and more efficient coal technologies.
With regard to joint efforts on tackling the
climate change, the two sides welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of
Cooperation between the National Development and Reform Commission of China and
Environmental Protection Agency of the
United States
to Build Capacity to
Address Climate Change.
The statement said the two sides welcomed the
launch of a China-U.S. Renewable Energy Partnership, through which the two
countries will chart a pathway to wide-scale deployment of wind, solar,
advanced bio-fuels and a modern electric power grid in both countries and
cooperate in designing and implementing the policy and technical tools
necessary to make that vision possible.
Shared confidence on the bilateral cooperation
in this field was expressed by the statement, which said that given the
combined market size of the two countries, accelerated deployment of renewable
energy in
China
and the
United States
can significantly reduce the cost of these technologies globally.
On the promotion of the peaceful use of nuclear
energy, the two sides agreed to consult with one another in order to explore
such approaches--including assurance of fuel supply and cradle-to-grave nuclear
fuel management so that countries can access peaceful nuclear power while
minimizing the risks of proliferation.
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/17/content_12475615.htm )
November 5 (China Daily) –he commitment, made by President Hu Jintao at
the United Nations Climate Change Summit in September 2009, that China will
reduce its carbon emission per unit GDP (carbon intensity) by a "notable
margin" by 2020 compared with the 2005 levels, signals a qualitative change
in China's policy on energy-saving and emission reduction.
China's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) raised the goal of "energy
intensity", requiring energy consumption per unit GDP to decline by 20
percent of the 2005 levels in a bid to deal with energy supply constraint and
environment deterioration. Energy intensity is a measure of energy consumption
efficiency per unit GDP of a country in a certain period. Energy saving,
certainly, means emission reduction, which could mitigate the impact of energy
consumption on the environment. While this policy mainly aims at maintaining
stable and sustained energy supply to economic development, it is basically a
problem about the quantity of energy consumption.
Carbon intensity is the ratio of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced
to per unit GDP. Although it is also influenced by energy efficiency, carbon
intensity is mainly subjected to energy structure, so it is a problem about
energy quality (the proportion of clean energy in energy structure).
Carbon intensity is also impacted by macroeconomic factors including
economic development stage, industrial structure, technology and energy and
environment policies. The change of restricting objective from energy intensity
to carbon intensity shows that
China
's
energy policy is experiencing a strategic turnaround, from focusing on
improving energy efficiency during the period of the 11th Five Year (2006-10)
to highlighting the factor of climate change as binding objectives in the
future energy strategic planning.
It has reached consensus worldwide that GHG emissions due to
anthropogenic causes are contributing to the ongoing global warming. As the
issue of climate change is getting serious, how to realize low-carbon
development has become an arduous task confronting each country.
China
, as a major emitter of carbon dioxide,
will face immense pressure from the international community, especially from
wealthy countries that are demanding promises of reduction from developing
countries, in the coming
Copenhagen
negotiation.
Cutting per unit GDP carbon intensity could be achieved mainly through
increasing clean energy and reducing coal consumption of per unit GDP, which
requires China to change its current energy structure with coal as the main
part, if clean coal technology cannot be popularized commercially.
Obviously, the goal
China
set for itself to lower carbon intensity for energy saving and emission
reduction has far reaching implications. The goal can only be fulfilled through
increasing the proportion of clean energy in the overall energy structure.
Conditioned by resources and building period,
China
's hydropower and nuclear
electricity generation could be expected to reach 300 million kilowatt-hours
and 80 million kilowatt-hours respectively by 2020. Another two areas with huge
potential and bright future for addressing climate change are wind power and
solar power generation.
Compared with traditional fossil fuel, the biggest bottleneck of
developing clean energy is the higher cost of research, development and utilization.
Therefore, the key to lower carbon intensity is to cut the cost of recyclable
energy, which
China
,
as a developing country in the process of urbanization and industrialization,
needs to cope with.
We are aware that the precondition for
China
's low-carbon economic
development and low carbon intensity is to ensure energy supply for rapid
economic growth. The precondition makes it more difficult to control clean
energy cost. In contrast, developed countries, with advanced technology and
higher will and capacity of people to pay for environment protection, are easy
to get support for their clean energy policy. The negative impact of GHGs to
global climate change can only be curbed through the joint efforts of all
nations under a fair and practical international framework of emission
reduction, with more consideration to energy cost in developing countries.
If a country wants to achieve a certain goal of carbon intensity, it can
choose the way of improving energy efficiency or try the approach of changing
energy structure, such as investing in wind power and solar power. Returns can
only be maximized when the marginal gains of improving energy efficiency and
investing in clean energy become equal. Thus, the central government could have
more alternatives to formulate an effective clean energy strategic planning.
The author is professor at the
Center
of
China Energy
Economics Research
,
Xiamen
University
, and a member
of the Changjiang Scholars Program.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/05/content_8931842.htm )
November 17 (China.org.cn) -- In a recent report,
China
's Ministry of Science and Technology
(MOST) raised its doubts about the surplus capacity of
China
's new
energy industry, saying the argument is not fair.
On August 26, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT)
and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) jointly released
"A Report about
China
's
Industrial Economic Operation in Summer 2009." The report notes that a lot
of construction projects overlap and have not been approved by the government,
therefore causing new energy industries such as solar and wind power to exceed
production capacity needs.
Take production of polycrystalline silicon for example. Polycrystalline
silicon production is the basis of the photovoltaic industry. As of the first
half of 2009,
China
had set up more than 50 polycrystalline silicon companies worth 130 billion
yuan (about US$19.04 billion) with a total output amounting to 230,000 tons.
Some experts believe that such a production capacity is more than twice the
global commands.
Researchers from MOST took about one month to assess the situation. They
found that such high rates of capacity are not actual outputs, but projected
outputs.
As for the polycrystalline silicon production, MOST points out that only
10 of the 50-plus companies can produce polycrystalline silicon and their
actual outputs are merely 15,000 tons.
In addition, experts from MOST claim that it is the new energy
enterprises that support the argument about surplus capacity, for fear of a
large number of newcomers competing and reducing their profits.
MOST's report also says that if such a surplus capacity exists, it is
just a temporary problem in the new energy industry and it will solve itself as
the industry matures. In the beginning phase, government intervention should
not be taken into consideration.
As for the photovoltaic industry, MOST believes that
China
cannot
keep planning abreast of the industry's developing trend. Non-governmental
forces are still playing a major role in the industry. In fact, a lag in power
grid construction and government subsidies lead to the slow development in the
new energy industry.
Previous page 1 2 Next Page
(http://www.china.org.cn/wap/2009-11/17/content_18904116.htm )
November 23 (China Daily) –US President Barack Obama took his first
official visit to
China
last
week, where topics of climate change and clean energy were among his top
priorities, with a series of related agreements achieved between
China
and the
United States
enterprises.
New agreements
The agreements included joint construction of a solar power project by
the
US
solar energy
developer First Solar and the Ordos,
Inner Mongolia
,
local government. The plant, with a planned capacity of 2 gW, is expected to
start construction in
Ordos
next year.
The project is part of a planned 11.95 gW new energy industry
demonstration zone in
Ordos
. The zone is
expected to combine solar, wind, hydroelectric and biomass power sources to
provide a steady supply of renewable energy.
Agreements also included a framework for an industrial coal gasification
joint venture between US-based General Electric Co (GE) and
China
's largest
coal company, Shenhua Group, which would combine GE's expertise in gasification
and cleaner power generation technologies with Shenhua's expertise in building
and operating coal gasification and coal-fired power generation facilities.
Agreements also included
US
coal producer Peabody Energy's participation as a full equity partner in
China
's
GreenGen clean coal project.
GreenGen is a $1 billion 650 mW project, a commercial scale power
project designed to produce near-zero emissions that is under construction in
Tianjin
.
GreenGen is being developed in phases and ultimately will capture and
store carbon dioxide. Electricity generation will begin as quickly as 2011 with
the first 250 mW IGCC unit.
China and the United States both have a lot of work to do in many green
technologies like smart grid and carbon capture and storage, said James Close,
partner at Ernst & Young, who participated in a training workshop for
several Chinese and American mayors on building low carbon cities last week.
Previous cooperations
Actually, the bilateral collaboration on clean energy started a few
years ago.
Located near
Beijing
's
East Fourth Ring Road, the Taiyanggong power plant features high-efficiency,
low-emissions technology and stands as a global showcase for the successful
integration of energy production and environmental responsibility.
The plant can generate about 3,400 gigawatt/hours (gW/hour) of
electricity annually. It can also supply heating to millions of buildings over
an area of 40 sq km.
The project uses natural gas, a
clean energy, in place of traditional coal-fired power generation. It is
equipped with gas turbines using technology from GE.
The Taiyanggong project underscores China's commitment to meet both its
enormous power requirements and its environmental responsibilities, said Jack
Wen, president and CEO of GE Energy China, adding that it is also a great
showcase of the partnership between the United States and Chinese business to
fight climate change.
The power generating efficiency of the Taiyanggong project is close to
58 percent. If adding the heat efficiency in winters, the efficiency can be as
high as 79 percent.
Meanwhile, the efficiency of the most advanced thermal power plants in
China
is about
45 percent.
The Taiyanggong plant is the first gas-fired power plant with flue-gas
denitrification in
China
.
It results in superior nitrogen oxide emission control, which is less than 22.5
mg per cu m, far below the emissions standard in
Beijing
set at 100 mg per cu m.
Per year, it can reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emission by 1.62 million
tons, greatly contributing to
Beijing
blue sky.
"This project really leads the industry in the successful
deployment of advanced technology, maximizing efficiency while minimizing
environmental impact," Wen said.
As the world's two largest energy consumers, Sino-US cooperation on
clean energy is critical to the whole world. It will also set a good example
for other countries, analysts said.
So far, the biggest collaboration between the two countries in the area
is four nuclear reactors using technology from US-based Westinghouse Electric
Corp.
Construction of the four reactors, a pair in
Zhejiang
and another two in
Shandong
,
is now under way. They are using the AP1000 technology, a third-generation
nuclear power technology developed by Westinghouse.
A 'win-win' project
"
China
's choice
of AP1000 is a win-win for both
China
and the
US
.
These plants will greatly increase
China
's ability to generate
significant additional baseload electricity in a clean, safe and economical
manner, and enable it to move closer to its goal of energy independence,"
said Westinghouse President and CEO Aris Candris when commenting on the deal.
"The cooperation between Westinghouse and
China
begins a
new chapter in the industry and sets an example for China-US hi-tech
cooperation," Candris said.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/23/content_9020782.htm )
November 19 (China Daily) -
President Hu Jintao's landmark speech at the United Nations Climate Change
Summit in September sets forth a series of principles by which the world can
meaningfully confront climate change.
The president calls for cooperation among nations to overcome the
inertia seen throughout the world today, but he also offers a realistic
perspective on the differing challenges faced by developing and developed
countries.
President Hu rightly asserts that financial and technology
investments can address the climate change problem while advancing prosperity
for all nations.
Without question, this doctrine provides insight into how nations
must establish their policies and actions.
More urgently, the president's statements are a call to action for
governments to not only commit to this effort, but also to tap into the
knowledge, experience and resources of their business communities.
The business community's capabilities hold the key to achieving
President Hu's vision of dealing realistically with climate change - a vision
that the world so desperately needs and deserves.
Given the large and rising profile of climate change, a multitude of
corporations are transforming technologies into practical, climate-friendly
solutions that increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions and lower adoption
costs.
Viable business models
Beyond technology development, these companies succeed by building
viable business models and promoting adoption through thoughtful communication
and incentives.
To overcome the commercial limitations that exist in the less
developed economies, the world's premier industrial companies must commit to -
and set as a priority - encouraging the adoption of climate change mitigation
strategies and technologies in these locales.
President Hu's speech sets forth four areas of opportunity, and he
underscored each with policies and objectives that will help neutralize climate
change.
These areas of opportunity are: increasing the use of nuclear and
renewable fuels, reducing CO2 emissions, expanding reforestation efforts and
emphasizing energy efficiency. To accomplish these objectives, President Hu
pledged that
China
will " enhance research, development and dissemination of climate-friendly
technologies."
Innovative solutions
There are a wide range of environmental challenges facing our world
and many innovative solutions under development. Many of these ideas will take
years to refine and become commercially viable.
But most encouraging, history shows that innovation steadily
surmounts the technical and cost barriers to developing more energy-efficient
or environmentally responsible products. A steady stream of technological
advancements promises to produce affordable solutions on every front to abate
risks to the environment.
Examples of existing viable technologies and successful adoption
models abound. A progressive nation like
China
consumes increasingly larger
absolute levels of energy and must supplement capacity. New technologies offer
significantly higher efficiencies for fossil fuel plants while containing
harmful emissions.
Other advancements reduce the cost of nuclear energy capacity and
improve wind and solar capabilities, making them economically practical.
Monitoring systems exist today that substantially reduce incidences of energy
transport infrastructure failure, such as gas pipelines that leak and pollute.
Business opportunities
In
China
,
which will build a substantial part of the world's energy infrastructure over
the next decade, the acute need for the best technical solutions supported by
the thoughtful commercial models creates a substantive opportunity for
businesses.
President Hu appropriately recognizes this "challenge and
reward" reality. Beyond their financial incentives, technology-focused
businesses must consider that our planet and future generations depend on their
contributions and, yes, their successes.
Other opportunities to apply more efficient and responsible energy
technologies exist throughout
China
.
Urbanization fuels a construction boom as citizens seek modern residences that
offer increased comforts such as heating and air conditioning systems. The
information revolution creates a huge need for data centers, the most energy
intensive space in the modern world.
How does
China
ensure that this construction employs the most efficient technologies available
- conforming to standards that often offer efficiency improvements of 50
percent or more compared to traditional approaches?
In addition to the right technological solutions, efforts to break
down barriers and gain acceptance require astute and rigorously enforced
government policies and regulations. But we must also recognize that deep
experience rests within technology-savvy enterprises that understand how to
address these hurdles. Their expertise can help deliver results on these
difficult initiatives.
Improving efficiencies
China
's leaders must focus their efforts not just on the new facilities
they build, but also on the shortcomings of existing infrastructure that harms
the environment. Innovative technologies exist to improve operational
efficiencies or, alternatively, to replace outdated equipment.
Technologies are available that can address the environmental challenges
posed by inefficient electric motors in industry, aging fossil fuel power
plants and outmoded waste disposal approaches. The world's industrial companies
must support the Chinese commercial community's efforts to make real changes.
The president's insights balance the gravity of the climate change
threat with the practicalities of globalization and national economic
development.
President Hu appropriately calls for the engagement of every nation,
recognizing their differing roles, yet shared responsibility. The president
challenges the nations of the world to cooperate and take on the threat of
climate change - contrasting the consequences of inaction with the hope of
engagement.
Government commitment creates a foundation critical to the success
of these initiatives. Still, the magnitude of the problem, its scope and
diversity demand more.
Success will require the endorsement and attention of the world's
technology leaders - the businesses that possess the real knowledge about the
problems and, most important, the solutions.
Enlightened companies must seize the opportunity and invest the
necessary resources in the developing world and, as President Hu observes, reap
the benefits for their constituencies and, more important, for future
generations.
The author Sara Yang Bosco is
president of Emerson Electric Asia-Pacific. The views expressed here are her
own.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/09/content_8986384.htm )
China
still lacks core new-energy
technology
November 18 (CRI) - Although China has seen great progress in clean
energy development, the country still lacks some core technology in the green
field, a researcher with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)
told CRI at the ongoing Third Euro-Asia Economic Forum in
Xi'an
on Tuesday.
"Industrial innovation should not be confined to medium- and
low-end productions. We should focus more on those critical technologies,"
Gao Shixian, assistant director-general of the Center for Energy Economics and
Development Strategy of Energy Research Institute under NDRC, said.
"Otherwise, it will lead to capacity surplus."
As the fourth-largest producer of wind power,
China
has set its power capacity
goal to around 20 gigawatts by next year; although the country's installed
capacity is currently only around 10 gigawatts per year.
Gao said such industries need proper planning in order to avoid a
possible energy crisis. At present,
China
's national grid lacks the
technology to handle increased amounts of power produced by new wind farms. It
only can process limited amounts of installed wind power capacity for use in
homes and offices.
The problem has gotten the
attention of the government. In September,
China
moved to restrict approval of
projects in six industries, all of which are facing problems of capacity
surplus or repeated construction, including the wind sector.
As for the technology issue, Gao added that some energy projects are
being developed in
China
with the cooperation of other countries, such as the
United
States
,
South
Korea
and EU nations.
"Those who are able to contribute their new technology to
energy development will enjoy priority in being our partners," he
emphasized.
Green technology and renewable energy have been mapped out as
China
's next
growth engine.
Wu Guihui, director-general of the Department of International
Cooperation of the National Energy Administration, also noted that
China
aims to
increase consumption of renewable energy to ten percent by 2010 and 15 percent
by 2020.
To achieve the goal,
China
has released a series of stimulus policies in the green field. In March of this
year, the country unveiled a revitalization plan for the domestic automobile
industry, which outlines the details of enlarging new-energy auto production.
The plan said government offices or companies that purchase such
cars can get a subsidy of 4,000 to 25,000 yuan per car.
Gao Shixian said it will take a long time before new-energy autos
become prevalent, as the building of support facilities can't be taken on by a
single company.
He did not say what
China
's
next move in green car promotion will be, but confirmed that the country will
make further efforts in this field.
(http://english.cri.cn/6909/2009/11/17/195s529981.htm )
China
's
clean energy has long way to go
November 5 (China
Daily) –China's clean energy development is still facing "various
difficulties and challenges" although the industry is growing rapidly and
the country's electricity structure becoming greener, Liu Qi, vice-director of
the National Energy Bureau, said yesterday at the 2009 China Power Forum held
in Tianjin.
Liu said
China
's clean energy industry has
made great progress since the adoption of the reform and opening-up policy.
Non-fossil energy accounts for 8.9 percent of the primary energy consumption in
2008,4.9 points higher than the level in 1980.
China
has
maintained annual growth in installed generating capacity of renewable energy
and power supply since the adoption of theRenewable Energy Lawin 2006,
according to Xie Zhenhua, vice president of the China Electricity Council. By
the end of 2008, the installed generating capacity of renewable energy reached
189.84 million kilowatts, accounting for 24 percent of the country's gross
installed capacity.
But Liu stressed difficulties and challenges
for developing clean energy in his address to the forum.
He said coal-fire power stations currently account
for 75 percent of the total installed capacity of electricity and half of the
stations under construction.
The amount of newly-launched hydropower
stations have dropped sharply in recent years due to increasing costs of
immigration and other factors, according to Liu. Wind power is still in the
start-up stages and there is no experience in operating large wind power
stations. Nuclear energy development is speeding up as many power enterprises
nationwide are eager to develop nuclear energy and there is an urgency to
establish technique standards and policy regulations to safeguard the
industry's safe development, he added.
The vice director promised the government will
work out more policies to promote clean energy and endeavor to increase the
share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 15 percent by
2020.
The goal was first announced by Chinese
president Hu Jintao when he attended the UN Climate Change Summit in September.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/m/tianjin/e/2009-11/05/content_8918522.htm )
November
2 (China Daily) - All-electric buses manufactured by China Lithium Energy
Investment Group and Dongfeng Motor Corp recently rolled off the production
line and joined public transport systems.
Equipped
with 200 lithium batteries, an electric bus can travel
200 km
on a single charge at the cost of 1 million
yuan ($ 146,453.63). A traditional gasoline-powered bus usually costs about
600,000 yuan to travel
200 km
.
"Although
the cost of our buses is higher than traditional buses, the government gives a
500,000 yuan subsidy for each bus, which makes it 100,000 yuan cheaper,"
said Wang Bin, vice president of China Lithium Energy Investment Group.
Large
production lines were set up in
Tangshan
in
Hebei
province and
Liaoyuan
in
Jilin
province. The electric buses have been put into operation in the two cities.
Wang
said his company's monthly production capacity has reached 100 electric buses,
and added that bus companies will likely save 180,000 yuan in transportation
costs a year with the subsidized buses.
The
State
Council
Development
Research
Center
estimates that
China
's
transportation fuel needs will increase to 256 million tons per year in 2020,
up from 55 million tons in 2000. Developing hybrid and all-electric vehicles is
key to address urban pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, authorities
have said.
China
in recent years has emerged as a leading producer of hybrid and
all-electric vehicles. The country's goal is to raise annual production
capacity to 500,000 electric cars and buses by the end of 2011 - up from 2,100
last year.
The
rapid development of green vehicles is in line with the boom in
China
's clean
energy sectors. The government has stated that development of clean energy is
key to the nation's target of building an energy-efficient and environmentally
friendly society.
Sino-US
cooperation
As
the world's two leading energy consumers,
China
is actively seeking partnerships with the
United States
in developing clean
energy.
"China
and the United States shared increasingly common interests on tackling climate
change and promoting sustainable development, although the two countries have
different domestic conditions and are in different development stages,"
said Vice Premier Li Keqiang when addressing the Strategic Forum for US-China
Clean Energy Cooperation, which closed late last month.
Co-sponsored
by the Chinese think tank China Institute of Strategy and Management and the US
think tank, Brookings Institution, the forum's primary goal was to find new
ways in which Chinese and US researchers, corporations and others can work
together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The
forum preceded next month's visit to
China
by US President Obama and the global climate conference in
Copenhagen
,
Denmark
.
The
Copenhagen
meeting seeks international agreement on a treaty to cut greenhouse gas
emissions worldwide.
"It
is not only necessary, but also possible for China and the US to transcend our
differences in energy and environmental development strategies and enter into
strategic and practical cooperation," Zheng Bijian, chairman of the China
Institute of Strategy and Management, said in his keynote speech at the October
forum.
Several
officials told the forum that they supported US-China partnerships in green
energy development.
For example, Lu Hao, secretary of the China
People's Congress Committee of Gansu province, said
Gansu
is eager to work with US companies on
smart grid technologies.
Wind
power has seen unprecedented growth in
Gansu
in recent years. With the utilization of smart grid technologies, the province
can better use the power generated by wind farms, he said.
Han Changfu, governor of
Jilin
province, said he wants to work with
US partners to develop his province's rich biomass resources.
Hainan
province Governor Luo
Baoming said he wants to work with US counterparts on solar power development.
Agreements
signed
China
and the
United States
signed seven cooperation agreements at the forum. The agreements cover issues
ranging from clean coal development to building low-carbon cities.
China
's
ambitious wind power plans, as well as national policies to reduce emissions
and use water and fuel more efficiently, have created a potential market for US
firms that have developed these technologies, US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke
said last week in
Hangzhou
during the annual Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) meeting.
"We
recognize that Chinese companies also have much to offer the
United States
,"
Locke told reporters.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/02/content_8900362.htm )
November
23 (China Daily) –
China
's
prosperous auto revolution will influence the look, design and type of car
everyone will be driving in the not-so-distant future.
The
world's largest market has always determined the type of vehicles we drove and
for more than 50 years
America
was king of the road.
Industry
veterans recall those happy days of glistening chrome, winged chariots and high
horsepower, but as Europe,
Japan
and
South Korea
joined the
US
as
cradles of mass production, cars became more influenced by accountants than
design engineers.
A
new auto king has risen and as Chinese car companies feed the aspirations of
hundreds of millions in the middle class, cutting-edge technology, fresh
designs and new life are blossoming.
These
new cars are proudly displayed at the seventh
China
(
Guangzhou
)
International Automobile Exhibition that opens to the media on Nov 23.
The
show's themes of "Technology, Trends, and New Life" sum up today's
events perfectly.
Beijing
and
Shanghai
auto shows may have higher international profiles, but expos like
Guangzhou
really show off the important details, those
nuts and bolts of
China
's
motoring miracle.
At
last year's show, Geely Automobile launched its first mini car, the Panda
(Xiongmao). The 1.3-liter, 41,800 yuan car is part of an array of mini
subcompacts designed for urban driving. Expect these to be powered by batteries
very soon.
Also
in 2008, Guangzhou Honda Automobile Co debuted a new concept car under the
joint venture's own brand Linian.
The
company will start building its first unique model next year as will Guangzhou
Automobile in the shape of the VIP Lounge, a mid-size concept sedan. These are
just two new cars are strangers to the world, but not for too much longer - and
more are on the way.
Auto
shows in
China
- and there are about 20 every year - influence Chinese consumers much more
than they do in developed nations.
A
recent survey showed that local new car buyers rely on word-of-mouth advice
from family and friends first and auto shows second. The Internet is in third
position.
TV
and print media don't have the same impact and Chinese car sales people have
yet to gain real credibility. Why would anyone listen to the advice of a young
salesman who may not own a car and may not even have a driver's license?
The
Guangzhou
expo comes at an auspicious time, just one month
after
China
's
10 millionth vehicle, a Jiefang (Liberation) truck, rolled off a FAW assembly
line. The J6 model truck was a symbolic statement of what the nation's auto
industry needs to continue its dynamic and determined progress.
The
showcase vehicle wasn't a flashy sports car, a buffed-up SUV or a cute
subcompact. It was a six-wheeled workhorse built to haul goods from the
factories to the market place. As any proud truck driver will tell you, trucks
not only move goods, they also move economies and drive a nation's prosperity.
But
the J6 was not just any truck. It was wholly designed and engineered in
China
and reflects the rising spirit of Chinese innovation through scientific
development.
It
is Liberation in every sense of the word because it shows Chinese companies are
working smarter, not just harder.
In
early 2006, FAW opened a new 250,000-sq-m, $180 million state-of-the-art truck
assembly plant in
Changchun
, capital of
Jilin
province in northeast
China
, but the company's best
engineering minds had already been working on something very special.
FAW
did not want to keep borrowing ideas from the West and committed 13 billion
yuan to develop its own vehicle brands.
FAW
liberated its thinking and a new generation of motor vehicle was born. It is
somewhat fitting that the Jiefang truck was chosen as such a pioneering vehicle
because in 1956, a Liberation truck was the first set of wheels made in new
China.
Borrowing
from the Soviet truck model, which borrowed its looks from the American 1940s
International Harvester, it carried 4 tons and hit a top speed of
65km/h
.
The
2009 J6 is from another automotive planet and before it was released 97 test
models were driven 3.6 million km in the most extreme conditions.
Test
models were pushed on frozen roads of Mohe in northern
China
, ran red hot in the tropical heat of
Hainan island, before being exposed to the driest of conditions in the
Xinjiang Uygur
autonomous region. Finally, the truck
journeyed west to the roof of the world across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
In
2007, the all-new J
6M
sparkled
and featured a brand-new 12.5-liter, 250kW engine. It was the first world-class
truck to be independently designed and built by a Chinese truck maker featuring
that magic mix of American power, European comfort and Chinese characteristics.
FAW
says the J
6M
puts
China
on the global stage with established brands
from Europe and the
United
States
for the first time as a serious
contender in the premium long-distance truck segment.
The
Liberation is also a metaphor for
Guangdong
province, which too has labored as a workhorse for the nation and is now
hosting a spectacular auto show.
Guangdong
is responsible for
moving
China
forward, but its swarm of factories are also blamed for causing damage to the
environment.
China
has been boosting investment and offering incentives to accelerate the
development of fuel-efficient and eco-friendly vehicles and it is fitting that
battery and electric car producer BYD Automobile Co Ltd has just opened a new
plant to make batteries in Huizhou in
Guangdong
.
The
carmaker with strong support from billionaire Warren Buffett said the 5 billion
yuan plant will enable it to mass produce electric cars. Chinese authorities
hope to have 500,000 green cars on the roads by 2011. When this eco motoring
evolution begins millions of these green vehicles and other Chinese designs
will follow.
The author Patrick Whiteley is a veteran auto writer
in
Australia
.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/23/content_9024766.htm )
November 20 (Xinhua)
--
BEIJING
,
Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Tax-take from the automobile industry has surged in the
first 10 months this year as auto production and sales were booming in the
world's largest market.
The State Administration
of Taxation said Friday value added tax (VAT) paid by the transportation
equipment manufacturing industry grew 28.8 percent to 88.6 billion yuan (13
billion U.S. dollars) during the period, and business income tax revenue was
30.7 billion yuan, up 29.6 percent.
Meanwhile, automobile
acquisition tax revenue increased 6.3 percent to 91.2 billion yuan, although
taxation on the purchase of vehicles with engine displacements below 1.6 liters
was reduced by half.
The State Council, or
the cabinet, decided on the cut at the beginning of this year to stimulate
domestic consumption.
The China Association
of Automobile Manufacturers estimated the tax cut had contributed at least a 10
percent growth for the auto market.
Auto production and
sales broke the 10 million mark in the first 10 months this year.
Official figures
showed that
China
's
auto sales reached 1.22 million units in October, up 72 percent year on year.
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/20/content_12510964.htm )
November 25 (China
Daily) -
China
's automotive
market continued its blistering pace into the third quarter of the year, with
October light vehicle (
LV
)
sales up 69 percent year-on-year.
Growth dropped
slightly from September, which was up 75 percent, but we expect to maintain
these levels for the closing two months of 2009.
Total demand for LVs
rose to 1.17 million units in October, including 812,000 passenger vehicles
(PVs) and 363,000 light commercial vehicles (LCVs), up 68 percent and 71
percent respectively.
Adjusting for
seasonal differences, the annualized sales rate in October was 15.7 million
units, a new record high for
China
and the first time the rate exceeded 15 million.
The year-to-date
sales rate is now 12.7 million units, considerably higher than the total light
vehicle sales of 8.8 million units sold in 2008.
While most brands
reported strong year-on-year growth in October, market shares are shifting a
bit.
The top five
passenger car brands remain the same as last year, but they accounted for a
slightly smaller portion of the overall market, some 41 percent of sales
through the first 10 months, compared to 43 percent in 2008.
Last month, the big five
had just 39 percent of total sales in their sector.
Most of the lost
share went to BYD, which has gained 2 percent in 2009. Other Chinese players
are also achieving rapid growth.
Lower prices for
domestic models, while important, cannot be considered the only factor in their
rising prominence.
Widespread networks
in secondary cities and rural areas, big product launches and dealer management
systems more localized than many international brands are also factors in their
growing success.
Yet we need to be
cautious on the outlook for these local companies, as problems with quality,
dealer management and product planning can mount when businesses grow at such a
rapid pace.
The rise of domestic
brands has also had an impact on the average selling price of passenger
vehicles, which in major cities is now around 2 percent lower than a year ago.
There are also fewer
incentives reported on the hot-selling models, particularly for SUV and compact
car models, given the strong demand and back orders.
Expanding product
portfolios of the local brands are forcing global players to introduce new
low-end models or variants of existing models with lower configurations to
compete
In contrast to the PV
market, year-to-date share of the top five LCV brands rose from 62 percent in
2008 to 67 percent in October. Wuling still leads the market, with nearly a
quarter of total LCV sales.
The Chang'an Group,
currently the second-largest LCV maker in
China
, is expected to soon
challenge Wuling for the top spot after acquiring several subsidiary companies
of China Aviation Industry Corp in November, including Hafei Motors, Changhe
Automobile and Dong'an Auto Engine.
With a compatible
product portfolio, the Chang'an Group get not only the capacity of the other
companies but also their large customer bases. The merger will essentially turn
the LCV market into a duopoly, making it extremely difficult for other smaller
companies to compete and survive.
Stimulus policies, a
key factor in the growth of the vehicle market this year, will continue to
affect the outlook through the short to medium term.
Although official
policies are not yet announced, the assumption is that the Chinese government
will extend the existing incentives or introduce new plans to support the
automotive industry over the next year.
We expect sales to
remain buoyant in 2010, with a potential slowdown postponed to 2011. In light
of this new development, we have raised the forecast for light vehicle sales
next year to 13.6 million units, up 6.6 percent from 2009. Passenger vehicles
sales will grow 9.6 percent to 9.3 million units, while light commercial
vehicle sales remain flat at around 4.2 million units.
The
author Jenny Gu is a senior market
analyst of JD Power
Asia
Pacific Forecasting
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/09gzautoexpo/2009-11/25/content_9043612.htm )
November 7 (China
Daily) - China's automobile market continued its robust growth in October, with
passenger vehicle sales clocking a year-on-year growth of 79.6 percent, and
provided enough indications that the country is well on its way to occupy the
top perch in the global automobile market.
Sales of cars,
sports-utility vehicles, minivans and multi-purpose vehicles touched 923,154
units last month, said Rao Da, secretary-general of China Passenger Car
Association on Friday in
Shanghai
.
"The
government's favorable tax policy and the eight-day National Day holidays spurred
sales in October. The robust trend was also aided as vehicle manufacturers
produced more popular models during the period and reduced the delivery
time," said Rao.
"We are
optimistic that the November figures would surpass that of October as sales
normally peak toward the end of the year," he said.
China
's
automobile industry has been growing robustly since the end of last year and is
now the most dynamic and promising market in the world.
"More
importantly, by the end of November, total vehicles sales in China will surpass
the 12-million-unit target, set by the government under its automobile industry
restructuring plan of last year, some 25 months in advance," said Rao.
"We expect
full-year automobile sales to touch 13.5 million with a year-on-year growth
rate of 44 percent. That in turn, would make
China
the world's largest
automobile market for the whole year."
Rao said if the government can continue its
stimulus package for the automobile industry, the growth rate for the 2010
could reach 25 percent.
On Thursday, Zhu
Hongren, spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said
the government is considering extending the favorable tax policies and the
subsidy for automobile purchases in rural regions to next year also. The
policies were scheduled to end this year.
On Oct 28, the
China
Economic
Monitoring
Center
and Sinotrust jointly released the 2009 Third Quarter China Automotive Industry
Climate Index and pegged the indicator at 99.6 points in the third quarter of
this year (2001=100), up 2.7 points over the second quarter, indicating that
the automobile market has started to recover from the downturn.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/07/content_8927564.htm)
November 3 (Xinhua) --
Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) Group plans to invest 6 billion
yuan (879 million U.S. dollars) in researching of and making new energy cars
starting this year and during the next two years, said group chairman Hu Maoyuan
Tuesday.
The investment
includes 2 billion yuan to support the research and development of new energy
cars, 2 billion yuan for producing parts for new energy cars and 2 billion yuan
for the building of car-making factories, Hu told an industry forum in
Beijing
.
He said SAIC plans to
put to market a series of new energy cars next year that could save fuel as
much as 30 percent; by 2012, cars that save more than 50 percent less fuel and
purely electric cars would be rolled out.
China
's
automobile production hit 10 million units in October this year, making its the
third country in the world to surpass the annual output mark, according to the
China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).
But experts worry
traditional cars' reliance on fossil fuels would cause more serious
environmental pollution, which requires "sustainable development", in
Hu's words, for the auto industry.
He said
electricity-driven vehicles would be
China
's major focus in the sector
in the future, while more technological breakthroughs need to be made in car
batteries, electric motors and other parts.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-10/11/content_8777073.htm )
November 9 (Agencies)
-- US auto giant General Motors said Monday it had extended its record sales
streak in China, selling more than 1.5 million units this year in contrast to
weak sales in the US since exiting bankruptcy.
GM and its Chinese
joint venture partners passed the 1.5 million mark Monday after a strong
October pushed sales for the first 10 months to about 1.46 million, the company
said in a statement.
The company has
already passed its 1.3 million units sold in 2008.
"This has been a
year of records for GM in
China
,"
Kevin Wale, GM China Group president, said in the statement.
GM said it sold
166,911 vehicles in October -- more than double the number sold in the same
month a year earlier.
The automaker sold
177,603 new vehicles in the
United
States
in October, up four percent from the
same month in 2008 and its first year-on-year gain since January 2008.
GM emerged from a
40-day bankruptcy reorganization backed by the
US
and Canadian governments in
July.
China
's
overall auto market saw sales rise nearly 80 percent on-year last month with
923,154 units sold, state media reported, citing the China Passenger Car
Association.
In the first 10 months, vehicle sales soared
nearly 52.4 percent over the same period last year to nearly 8.08 million
units, state media reported.
Last year, a total of
9.4 million units were sold in
China
,
up eight percent from the previous year, but market growth was slower than the
on-year expansion of 21.8 percent in 2007.
China's total car
sales outstripped the US for the first time in January to make the Asian giant
the world's largest car market, helped by Beijing's efforts to stimulate
domestic consumption.
These measures
included slashing taxes on cars with engines smaller than 1.6 liters and
subsidizing alternative-energy vehicles.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/09gzautoexpo/2009-11/09/content_8988391.htm )
November
3 (China Daily) -- A major Chinese oil corporation says the latest string of
overseas acquisitions by Chinese-based enterprises is motivated by financial
reasons, and not by any pressure from the government, as is being suspected by
some foreign media.
The
Shanghai Securities News quotes Shan Lianwen, director of corporate strategy at
China National Offshore Oil Corporation,
China
's third-largest oil producer,
as saying the enterprises are acting entirely on their own behalf.
Shan's
remarks came as
China
's
three oil giants -- China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China
Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) and China National Offshore Oil Corporation
(CNOOC) -- put themselves in the international spotlight with a series of
acquisitions around the world.
"
China
's oil
firms' overseas acquisitions are beneficial to the country's energy safety but
that is not the main aim," Shan said, adding that their ultimate goal is
to make money while working strategically to keep up with globalization.
The
insurance of
China
's
oil safety comes last on their list of priorities, Shan said.
Li
Junfeng, deputy director of the Energy Research institute under the National
Development and Reform Commission, echoed Shan's remarks and said
China
's three
oil giants are all market-oriented despite being State-owned.
The
investments made by the three oil giants are purely initiatives of the
enterprises rather than the government's, Li was quoted by the newspaper as
saying.
Several
eye-catching acquisitions have been made by China's three oil giants since the
beginning of this year, including Sinopec's $7.24 billion takeover of
Geneva-based oil and gas producer Addax Petroleum Corp; the $41 billion
liquefied natural gas deal between Exxon Mobil and PetroChina (whose parent is
CNPC), which brought PetroChina's total liquefied natural gas purchase from the
project to a total of 3.25 million tons per annum for 20 years; and Sinopec and
CNOOC's joint purchase of a 20 percent stake in Angola's offshore deepwater
Block 32 for $1.3 billion from Marathon Oil Corp.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/03/content_9046984.htm )
November
25 (Xinhua) –The municipal government of
Hangzhou
,
in east
China
's
Zhejiang
Province
, stopped all natural gas
supplies to entertainment businesses at the weekend to guarantee supplies to
the city's 410,000 households.
The
city government also cut gas supplies to hotels, office buildings and shopping
malls by 20 percent.
Chinese
cities are grappling for a second week with shortages of natural gas triggered
by the unusually early winter weather.
Transport
authorities in southwest
China
's
Chongqing
Municipality
said that 6,200 of the
city's 7,000 buses were powered by natural gas and services were pared back as
supplies slowed.
The
municipal government on Saturday also allowed natural gas-fueled taxi cars to
levy a 2-yuan (30 U.S. cents) surcharge per trip to offset their losses.
In
Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, the city'sbiggest natural gas
consumer -- Intex Glass (Wuhan) Co. Ltd. -- ison the verge of bankruptcy,
because of the gas shortage. The company has over 100 employees on its pay
roll.
"Our
factory has stopped production for over a week. The company has ordered diesel
as a substitute of natural gas to fuel the smelter, to prevent our materials
degenerating," said Ao Wanzhi, manager of the company.
The
company's daily gas consumption was about 145,000 cubic meters, which accounted
a one tenth of the city's total. The company's monthly production value was
estimated at 50 million yuan.
The
city government started to cut natural gas supplies to industrial users on Nov.
17 in
an effort to ensure
residential supplies.
A
Wuhan
resident surnamed
Chen, from Tongxin Community, said she had hoped to conserve credit on her gas
card as she feared a possible price hike, but the gas companies had limited the
gas sales to individual buyers
"You
can't buy more gas even if you've got money. I was told I can only buy 168 yuan
of gas this month," she said.
A
spokesman with the
Wuhan
subsidiary of the China National Petroleum Corporation said natural gas
consumption for heating had soared even before the cold spell hit the city last
week.
The
city's daily consumption had reached 2.2 million cubic meters before snow came,
as compared with the company's planned ratio of 1.46 million cubic meters to
the city.
Many
people blame the gas supplier for the shortfall. However, a spokesman for China
National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC),
China
's leading oil and gas
producer, said Wednesday that its daily natural gas supply has risen from 169
million cubic meters at the beginning of the month to 189 million cubic meters.
He
said most of the company's gas transmission pipelines had reached their full
capacity.
According
to BP Statistical Review 2009,
China
's
natural gas output in 2008 was 76.1 billion cubic meters, as compared with its
consumption of 80.7 billion cubic meters in the same period.
It
said the country's natural gas consumption has been rising at over 20 percent
annually in the past few years.
The
prices of natural gas also vary according to natural gas origins. The price of
outgoing gas from west
China
's
gas fields are cheaper than that from northeast and north
China
.
China
in August struck its biggest trade deal with
Australia
,
which was worth 41 billion U.S. dollars, to buy natural gas.
Professor Dong
Xiucheng, of the China University of Petroleum, said the growth in natural gas
demand had far outpaced the supply. The country has not set up big gas reserves
to cope with emergencies.
"Natural gas
companies do not share their pipeline resources, which makes it difficult to divert
gas to the needy in time of crisis," he said.
Lin Boqiang,
director of Energy Economy Research Center of Xiamen University, said the
government-controlled natural gas price was not reflecting the commodity's true
market value.
For example, the
cost of sending natural gas generated from gas fields in west
China
's
Sichuan
to east
China
's
Shanghai
is 3 yuan per
cubic meter. However, the retail price now is 2.5 yuan.
"Under the
mechanism, energy suppliers are not motivated to expand production to meet soaring
demand," he said.
He said the
surging demand during cold weather reflected the growing importance of natural
gas in Chinese people's daily lives. It was necessary to re-shape the country's
natural gas industry development strategy to firstly secure residential use of
the resource rather than use it as fuel for petrochemical projects or power
plants.
Cao Changqing
,
director of Pricing Department of the National Development and Reform
Commission, said on Thursday that the country's natural gas price reform would
not be completed in 2009.
This was the
clearest indication so far there will not be a price hike this year by the top
economic planner, which is in charge of natural gas pricing mechanism reform.
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/23/content_12526765.htm )
November
27 (China Daily) --
China
's
major energy firms are boosting natural gas production and imports to ease
shortages caused by a cold snap this month.
China
National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), the country's leading oil and gas producer, on
Wednesday night started operating a natural gas pipeline in western
China
.
The
pipeline, which sends natural gas from the
Qaidam
Basin
in
Qinghai
province to
Xining
, capital of
Qinghai
, will increase CNPC's gas supply in
the region by 3 million cu m per day, the company said in a statement
yesterday.
CNPC
also plans to start importing natural gas from
Turkmenistan
through the
Central Asia
pipeline and the
second West-East pipeline in mid-January next year, it said.
"Once
the project becomes operational, we will increase natural gas supply by almost
1 billion cu m this winter," said the statement.
CNPC's
daily supply of gas has reached around 200 million cu m since November. The
company's natural gas production and pipeline transmission are at maximum
capacity, said Hou Chuangye, deputy general manager of the company's gas and
pipeline operations.
To
ease the shortage, CNPC will buy at least 700 million cu m of gas in the global
spot market, Zhang Guobao, head of the National Energy Administration, said on
Dragon TV.
The
company will also lease the Shanghai LNG terminal from China National Offshore
Oil Corp (CNOOC) as part of its strategy to bridge the shortfall. The first
imports will equal two cargoes, a company executive said yesterday.
Besides
CNPC, the country's two other major oil and gas producers Sinopec and CNOOC are
also boosting production to ease the shortage.
During
the fourth quarter, Sinopec's daily natural gas production touched a record
high of 23.8 million cu m, up 1.8 million cu m from the third quarter, the
company said.
The
company's Daniudi gas field, a key field in northern China, is now operating at
full capacity to meet demand, said Li Deming, an executive at Sinopec's
northern China sales operations.
CNOOC
is also raising gas production at some fields to help ease the shortage, said a
company executive yesterday.
"With
these moves, the gas shortage caused by the cold weather can be solved within a
short period," said Lin Boqiang, a professor at
Xiamen
University
.
Previous page 1 2 Next Page
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/27/content_9064554.htm )
China
oil giant PetroChina says profit down 23%
October 29 (Agencies) – BEIJING:
PetroChina Ltd., Asia's biggest oil producer, said Thursday its third-quarter
profit plunged 23.4 percent from a year earlier as it suffered a double blow
from lower crude prices and weak demand.
Profit for the three months ending September
30 was 30.8 billion yuan ($4.5 billion) or 0.17 yuan ($0.02) per share,
compared with 40.1 billion yuan or 0.22 yuan per share a year earlier, the
Beijing-based oil company reported.
Total revenue fell 12 percent from a year
earlier to 267.7 billion yuan ($39.3 billion) on weak demand amid the global
economic crisis, PetroChina said.
The company said its production unit
suffered from sharply lower crude prices, earning an average $49 per barrel
over the first nine months of the year, compared with $97.24 for the same
period of 2008. It did not give third-quarter figures.
Oil production for the first nine months of
the year fell 3.7 percent to 631 million barrels, the company said.
PetroChina and rival Sinopec, or China Petroleum
& Chemical Corp., have been hurt by government controls that blocked them
from passing on 2008's record-high crude costs to Chinese consumers. Retail
prices were cut this year as crude costs fell, preventing the producers from
taking advantage of the decline to reap fatter profits.
Despite the slump in demand at home,
PetroChina said it was taking advantage of lower prices abroad to pursue access
to oil and gas resources.
In August, it agreed to buy liquefied
natural gas from
Australia
's
Gorgon field in a deal worth 50 billion Australian dollars.
PetroChina, with shares traded in
New York
, Hong Kong and
Shanghai
, is the world's most valuable
company by market capitalization after Exxon Mobil Corp.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-10/29/content_8867510.htm )
CNPC, Chevron ink
Sichuan
gas field development deal
November
6 (China Daily) -- China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and US oil major
Chevron have signed an agreement to jointly develop a gas field in the
northeast of Sichuan province, which would be China's biggest onshore
exploration venture with a foreign company, CNPC said yesterday.
The
National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC),
China
's top economic planning body,
on Oct 29 granted approval to the two companies to develop the Luojiazhai
field, CNPC said in a statement yesterday.
CNPC
and Chevron will accelerate development of the field to ease energy shortages
in
Sichuan
,
said the statement.
CNPC
holds a 51-percent interest in the project and Chevron takes the rest.
The
field is in the Chuandongbei area, which covers nearly 2,000 sq km and has an
estimated reserve of 5 trillion cubic feet. That almost doubles
China
's
2008 annual gas output.
The
regulatory approval came almost two years after Chevron signed a 30-year
production sharing agreement with CNPC to develop the area.
To
support its gas operation in
Sichuan
, Chevron
opened an office in
Sichuan
's
Dazhou last year.
Chevron
and CNPC plan to build two sour gas plants with a throughput capacity of 740
million cubic feet of natural gas per day, Chevron said last year.
China's
natural gas production will be 120 billion cu m in 2011, a three-year plan
(2009-11) chalked out by the National Energy Administration has outlined.
Under
the plan, production would see a 58-percent increase from last year.
Under
the blueprint,
China
will build some large oil and gas production bases over the next three years.
The country will stabilize the output from oilfields in northeast
China
and the
Bohai
Sea
Bay
area, while speeding development of fields in the Tarim, Junggar, Erdos and
Sichuan
basins.
China
will also work to increase its offshore oil and gas production,
said the plan.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/06/content_8930960.htm )
November
14 (China Daily) --
China
's
largest offshore oil producer CNOOC on Friday signed an agreement with Qatargas
to buy more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet the rising domestic demand.
Both
parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Friday, under which
Qatargas will supply an additional 3 million tons of LNG per year, said a CNOOC
statement.
CNOOC
is also planning to buy another 2 million tons of LNG from Qatargas annually,
to further bolster its annual LNG purchase from the gas-rich country to 7
million tons, said the statement.
CNOOC
last year signed an agreement with Qatargas to buy 2 million tons of LNG for 25
years.
The
move will improve
China
's
utilization of natural gas, a clean energy, and optimize the country's energy
consumption structure, said CNOOC President Fu Chengyu.
China
has now become a new center for LNG consumption, said Faisal
Al-Suwadi, CEO of Qatargas. The Qatari company also opened its
China
representative office on Friday.
The
company received its first cargo of LNG from
Qatar
in October. The cargo, of
216,000 cu m, arrived at CNOOC's Dapeng LNG terminal in Shenzhen in southern
Guangdong
province.
The
LNG from
Qatar
will be
offloaded to other terminals of CNOOC, including the existing one in eastern
China
's
Fujian
province and the soon-to-be operational one in
Shanghai
.
Currently,
CNOOC is operating two LNG projects in
Fujian
and
Guangdong
.
The company aims to have 50 million tons per year of LNG receiving capacity by
2020, Zhou Shouwei, deputy general manager of CNOOC, said in July.
China
, which received its first LNG cargo in May 2006, plans to build more
than 10 terminals on the east coast to meet a government target to double the
use of natural gas in five years by 2010.
China
's LNG imports rose to a record, of around 800,000 tons in
September. Analysts said the figure would remain high during the rest of the
year due to growing demand.
Analysts
said compared with other energy such as oil and coal,
China
's natural
gas consumption will see more rapid growth as the government is encouraging
more use of clean energy.
China
's second largest oil company Sinopec signed its first purchase deal
for LNG with US oil major ExxonMobil earlier this month. The two companies
entered into a preliminary agreement for the long-term supply of 2 million tons
per annum of LNG from ExxonMobil's project in
Papua New Guinea
.
The
LNG will be supplied to
Qingdao
,
Shandong
province, where Sinopec
will build an LNG receiving terminal, said Wang Zhigang, senior vice-president
of Sinopec Corp.
China
and
Australia
struck their biggest trade deal ever in August as the world's two most valuable
listed oil companies, ExxonMobil and PetroChina, agreed a $41-billion liquefied
natural gas deal.
PetroChina
will buy 2.25 million tons of LNG per year from the Gorgon LNG project in
Western Australia
.
The
massive Gorgon LNG project operated by Chevron Corp, which owns a 50-percent
stake, is located off
Western
Australia
and has a proposed annual output of 15
million tons. Exxon and Royal Dutch Shell each own a 25-percent stake.
PetroChina
is now building LNG terminals in
Liaoning
and
Jiangsu
provinces.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/14/content_8980907.htm )
November 30 (China.org.cn) -- The world's largest solar
energy office building opened on November
27 in
Dezhou,
Shangdong
Province
in northwest
China
. The
building, which has a total area of 75,000 square meters, features exhibition
centers, scientific research facilities, meeting and training facilities, and a
hotel.
The
design of the building is based on the sun dial and underlines the urgency of
seeking renewable energy sources to replace fossil fuels. The design also
features the Chinese characters for sun "日" and moon "月", and the color white
predominates, symbolizing clean energy.
Green
ideas have been applied throughout the construction. The external structure of
the building used only one percent of the steel used to construct the Bird's
Nest. Advanced roof and wall insulation mean energy savings 30 percent higher
than the national energy saving standard.
The
building will be the main venue for the 4th World Solar City Congress. The
building's ground-breaking solar energy and power-saving technologies, some of
which have already been patented, include a number of technical advances that
will push forward the mass application of solar energy.
(http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2009-11/30/content_18979869_3.htm )
China
to cut 40 to 45% GDP unit carbon by 2020
November 26 (Xinhua) --
BEIJING
- The State Council announced Thursday that
China
is going to reduce the
intensity of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP in 2020 by 40 to 45
percent compared with the level of 2005.
This is "a voluntary action" taken
by the Chinese government "based on our own national conditions" and
"is a major contribution to the global effort in tackling climate
change," the State Council said.
In a meeting presided over by Premier Wen
Jiabao Wednesday, the State Council reviewed a national task plan addressing
climate change.
A press statement released Thursday said the
index of carbon dioxide emissions cuts, announced for the first time by
China
, would be "a binding goal" to be
incorporated into
China
's
medium and long-term national social and economic development plans.
New measures would be formulated to audit,
monitor and assess its implementation, said the statement.
Qi Jianguo, an economic and environmental
policy researcher at the
Chinese
Academy
of Social Sciences, told Xinhua that the
targets would put "great pressure" on
China
's development.
"In 2020, the country's GDP will at
least double that of now, so will the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). But
the required reduction of emissions intensity by 40 to 45 percent in 2020
compared with the level of 2005 means the emissions of GHG in 2020 has to be
roughly the same as emissions now," he said.
Qi, a quantitative economist who studies
links between the economy and climate change, said as the world's largest
developing country,
China
would face a great challenge.
In order to achieve the target, more efforts
must be made besides strictly abiding by the principle of "energy-saving
and emissions reductions," he said.
The government would devote major efforts to
developing renewable and nuclear energies to ensure the consumption of
non-fossil-fuel power accounted for 15 percent of the country's total primary
energy consumption by 2020, said the State Council statement.
More trees would be planted and the country's
forest area would increase by 40 million hectares and forest volume by 1.3
billion cubic meters from the levels of 2005.
The State Council said that as a responsible
developing nation,
China
advocated global concerted efforts in addressing climate change "through
pragmatic and effective international cooperation."
The Chinese cabinet reiterated the principled
stand for implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol.
Both the UNFCCC principle of "common but
differentiated responsibilities" and the Bali Roadmap should be observed,
the State Council said.
The UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol should be
carried out in a comprehensive, effective and lasting way, and emissions
alleviation, adaptation, technological transfer and financial support should be
coordinated in a comprehensive way to help bring about positive results for the
upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in December in
Copenhagen
, the State Council said.
"Appropriate handling of the climate
change issue is of vital interest to
China
's social and economic
development and people's fundamental interests, as well as the welfare of all
the people in the world and the world's long-term development," the State
Council said in the statement.
China
faced mounting pressure and difficulties in developing its national economy and
improving people's living standards as the country's industrialization and
urbanization accelerated, said the statement.
Given the country's huge population,
prominent economic structural problems, coal-dominated energy consumption
structure, and increasing demand for energy, the government needed to make
strenuous efforts to realize those targets, said the statement.
The government was required to take into
account both immediate and long-term interests while achieving coordinated
development of its economy and the cause of environmental protection, said the
statement.
Coping with climate change should be a major
strategy for the national economic and social development, said the statement.
More funding would be invested into the
research, development and industrialization of technologies for energy saving,
and into energy efficiency, clean coal development, renewable energies,
advanced nuclear energies, and carbon capture and storage.
Laws, regulations and standards would be
formulated and fiscal, taxation, pricing and financial measures would be
introduced to manage and monitor the implementation of those laws and
regulations, said the statement.
The State Council also said
China
would
expand cooperation with foreign countries in raising its capacity to cope with
climate change and import low-carbon and environment-friendly technologies.
The State Council also advocated greater
public awareness in addressing global climate change and encouraged low-carbon
lifestyles and consumption.
The Kyoto Protocol, which aimed to pool world
efforts to combat global warming, has been ratified by 184 parties to the
UNFCCC since 1997, but it has not been ratified by the
United States
.
Under the Protocol, developed countries are
required to set clear targets for emissions reductions The European Union,
Canada
,
Japan
and
Australia
,
among other developed members, all set respective targets.
Developing countries such as
China
and
India
do not need to present any
emissions targets.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-11/26/content_9058731.htm )
EU and
China
united by climate change cooperation
November 30 (China Daily) - Li Zhongzhou
remarked that: "Curbing pollution caused by manufacturing, improving water
quality, using more renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency
are recognized priorities at the highest level of the Chinese government. The
development of a more efficient international trade environment could actually
accelerate such efforts by allowing the freer flow of sustainable technologies
and services."
"Technologies for energy and environment
applications already have a huge and growing market in
China
and one that European enterprises are well
placed to develop, particularly in light of
China
's on-going government
procurement reforms," Bartley added.
Li explained that
China
's 11th Five-Year-Plan
(2006-2010) "really demonstrated the depth of the government's commitment
to building a harmonious, resource-saving society and of achieving a balance
between economic growth, social equality and environmental protection.
China
has put in place ambitious targets in this regard."
The EUCTP has been very active in supporting
efforts to promote EU-China sustainable trade, for example in investigating the
potential role of cross cutting sustainability policies across all trade
sectors.
EUCTP experts have supported the launch of
the EU-China sustainable trade task force, an initiative to enhance the
contribution of trade to sustainable development, such as the facilitation of
technology transfer agreements.
In addition to these broader policy
developments the EUCTP has also worked on some practical on-the-ground
initiatives such as the development of standards for the correct use of energy
efficiency construction material in buildings in
China
.
A high level conference and a series of
laboratory training activities have been held focusing on improving building
standards for energy efficiency, construction design and quality of
construction products and materials by assessing the performance and
sustainability of buildings.
The training was important in defining
China
's
own quality standards for building envelopes, particularly for glass. It has
contributed to improving knowledge of testing standards and certification
requirements for key construction products.
In addition, the EUCTP cooperated with the
International Labor Organization in promoting CSR principles as the guidelines
for good corporate governance initiatives particularly for social and
environmental standards in labor-intensive export industries.
On technology transfer team leader Bartley
said that while this is a hot topic it remains a sensitive one.
"Enterprises will only invest in innovation and develop new technologies,
and trade those technologies freely if IPR is fully protected within technology
transfer or licensing agreements."
IPR protection too had been a top priority of
the EUCTP between 2005-07, before the new IPR2 Project was launched by the EU
and
China
.
During that period EUCTP work, which had followed closely the EU-China IPR
Dialogue and its working groups, has covered the full spectrum of IPR including
copyrights and related rights management, trademarks protection, patents and
design, IPR enforcement and the relationship between IPR and standards as well
as IPR and competition.
"China's commitments under WTO TRIPS
required the consolidation of its IPR regime in line with international norms
and practices and has proved to be a major challenge within its overall reform
agenda. Today
China
's
legal basis for the protection of IPR basically conforms to international
practices and standards," Bartley said.
"Increasing access to the Chinese
Government Procurement market will also be important if foreign technologies
are to be adopted on a large scale," he said.
When
China
joined the WTO in 2001 it
agreed to start negotiations to accede to the Government Procurement Agreement
(GPA) as soon as possible.
The EUCTP has implemented 10 technical
assistance activities in
Beijing
,
Shanghai
and Shenzhen, explaining to Chinese officials
Europe's experience within the GPA, the importance of transparency and an
efficient procurement regime and the modalities for
China
's accession to the GPA.
EUCTP experts also made several
recommendations for changes to
China
's
national legislation to ensure consistency with the norms and requirements of
the GPA.
The harmonization of
China
's regulatory framework with
international practices is on-going.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2009-11/30/content_9074275.htm )
November 18 (China Daily) - The long-awaited
COP15 (United Nations Climate Change Conference
2009 in
Copenhagen
)
will be held next month. As
China
's
ambassador to
Denmark
, I am
frequently asked about
China
's
stance on climate change and this article serves as a summary. It will mainly
focus on three parts:
China
's
efforts and achievements, position toward COP15 and future undertakings.
When addressing climate change, many concerns
have been expressed, many promises have been made, but concrete action is what
counts. As a responsible major developing country,
China
fully recognizes the
significance and urgency of addressing climate change, and has made a series of
efforts on its own initiative.
As far back as 1995,
China
was determined to transform
its economic pattern to a new one featuring technological innovation, less
consumption and lower costs. Entering the 21st century,
China
adopted a long-term policy to
achieve a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable way of development. In
2007, a national leading group headed by the premier was set up and a National
Climate Change Program was launched, the first among developing countries. In
October last year, a white paper entitled
China
's Policies and Actions for
Addressing Climate Change was published. In August, a draft resolution on
climate change was approved by
China
's
legislature.
Between 2006 and 2008,
China
shut down inefficient thermal
power plants with a total capacity of 34.21GW (gigawatts), and closed 6,028
small coal mines. In 2007 alone, renewable energy contributed to an emission
reduction of 500 million tons of CO2. From 2000 to 2008,
China
saw installed capacity of
wind power increasing from 340 MW (megawatts) to 12 GW, ranking fourth in the
world, and hydropower from 79.35 GW to 172 GW, the highest worldwide. In the 30
years of reform and opening up, China's GDP hit an annual growth of 9.8
percent, while energy consumption per unit of GDP decreased by 4 percent per
year.
Even during the recent global economic
crisis, the government demonstrated its firm resolve in addressing the climate
issue. Of its 4-trillion-yuan ($586 billion) financial stimulus package, 350
billion yuan was channeled into environment- and climate-related industries.
Moreover,
China
always has a positive and
constructive attitude toward international cooperation. Many of its proposals
have been applauded by a vast number of countries. Being a developing country
with a per capita GDP of around $3,000 and 15 million people still living in
absolute poverty,
China
has distinguished itself with its endeavors and achievements. It is fair to say
that
China
today is a determined supporter, a positive contributor and an active player in
the climate campaign.
Climate change recognizes no borders, and I
sincerely hope joint efforts will be made in the following aspects:
First, we should bring confidence to the
table at COP15. The global economic crisis should not be an obstacle, either.
China
,
along with many other countries, considers it an opportunity to further
emphasize the importance of addressing climate change, which provides a chance
to develop a low-carbon economy, restructure industry, open up new markets,
attract investment and create employment opportunities.
Second, we should stick to the existing
framework set by the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change) and its Kyoto Protocol, faithfully abiding by the principle of
"common but differentiated responsibilities". The UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol
are documents reflecting global consensus, providing a basic legal framework,
and serving as a foundation for international negotiation. Adherence to this
principle is critical to keep international cooperation on the right track. Any
attempt to challenge it would only be viewed as a step backward.
Third, we should fulfill respective
responsibilities. Given the historical responsibility and development levels,
developed countries should reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on aggregate
by at least 40 percent below their 1990 levels by 2020, and fulfill their
obligations in assistance to developing countries in capacity building. The
latter, in the light of national conditions and with the financial and
technological support of developed countries, need to take appropriate actions
and exert a more positive influence on the global agenda.
Fourth, we should work hard to achieve a
win-win outcome. Dialogue based on equality, and cooperation featuring mutual
benefit, are perhaps the only feasible option to address contradictions and
confrontations in negotiations. Developed countries should take into full
consideration the multiple pressures facing developing countries, such as
eliminating poverty and mitigating the emissions of GHG, and render as much support
as possible.
Looking forward,
China
will continue to take
practical steps to tackle climate change. Concrete goals have been brought
forward, not as a result of outside pressure, but out of its innate pursuit of
sustainable development, and out of a sense of responsibility to its own people
and people across the world.
In the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10),
China
has undertaken to do its utmost to achieve the goal: From 2005 to 2010, its
energy consumption per unit GDP be reduced by about 20 percent, and main
pollutant emissions to drop by 10 percent. The proportion of renewable energies
in primary energy resources shall rise from 7.5 percent to 10 percent.
This September at the UN climate summit in
New York
, President Hu
Jintao unveiled a blueprint to the year 2020. By then,
China
will intensify its efforts to
conserve energy and improve energy efficiency, and raise the share of
non-fossil fuels in energy generation to around 15 percent.
Forest
coverage will increase by 40 million hectares and forest stock volume by 1.3
billion cu m from the 2005 levels.
China
will endeavor to develop a
green, low-carbon and circular economy, and enhance research, development and
dissemination of climate-friendly technologies.
It is estimated by some foreign organizations
that the future market of
China
's
green economy will amount to $1 trillion per year. With an open mind,
China
stands ready to join hands with all other countries to build an even better
future for the generations to come.
The
author Xie Hangsheng is
China
's Ambassador to
Denmark
.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2009-11/18/content_8991360.htm )
November 27 (China Daily) -
China
should tie the career prospects of officials to their performance in developing
both a low carbon economy and the restructuring of the economy to realize the
nation's new target of a 40-45 percent reduction in carbon intensity by 2020.
Leading Chinese economists and researchers
yesterday made the suggestions and said the target is roughly feasible.
"The most urgent measure, I believe, is
to reform the officials' performance assessment system," said economist
Gao Shangquan. Gao is the former head of the government agency on reform.
Gao said the Chinese government's target
announcement is vital in boosting a new round of domestic reform.
He also added that officials, especially
those at provincial and local levels, are keen on economic growth and expansion
because their career assessment is mainly tied to achievements in those two
regards.
"We should try our best to set up an
expanded assessment system to encourage local governments to develop a low
carbon economy," Gao said.
China
has
set an assessment system to ensure the fulfillment of its 20-percent,
energy-efficiency target for the 2006-10 period. But it is unclear how many
officials have been punished or promoted because of their performances in
saving energy.
Chi Fulin, president of the China (Hainan)
Reform and Development Research Institute said China's goal has come at a good
time as it prepares the 12th five-year (2011-15) national economic and social
plan.
"It's very clear that
China
is
well-prepared to develop a low-carbon economy," Chi said. "
China
is
shifting to a low-carbon era."
Xie
Zhenhua
,
China
's special climate change envoy, said at a press conference
yesterday that the country will restructure its economy, improve forestation
and expand renewable energy use to meet the carbon intensity target.
Jiang Kejun, a researcher with the Energy
Research Institute under the National Development and Reform Commission, said
that cutting carbon intensity by 40-45 percent demands three prerequisites:
keeping annual GDP growth at 8 percent, increasing renewable energy use to 15
percent and reducing energy intensity by 18-20 percent during the 2011-15
period.
"Uncertainty in achieving the target lies
in difficulty to maintain an annual GDP growth of 8 percent, because the
current economic situation home and abroad is not good," he said.
"But I am confident that
China
would
have no problem in reaching its goal."
Zou Ji, an environment policy professor with
Renmin University of China, expressed prudent optimism in reaching the target.
"But
China
will pay a very high price,
about 1-2 percent of its GDP every year," he said.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/27/content_9061427.htm )
China
's effort in dealing with climate change
praised
November 10 (Xinhua) -- US experts on
China
, foreign policy and climate change meeting
here on Monday praised
China
's
strong effort in dealing with climate change.
"In
China
, we see continued effort by
the government to increase the energy efficiency of its power plants,
industries, buildings and equipment," said Barbara Finamore, founder and
director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) China Program.
"There was a recent announcement by the
President of China at the UN Climate Change Conference in September that China
will reduce its carbon intensity by a notable margin between 2005 and
2020," she said at China, Law and Copenhagen: CFR (Council on Foreign
Relations) and NRDC Discuss, a meeting discussing the run-up to Copenhagen and
the current state of US-China environmental relations.
"There is a growing realization in China
of the vulnerability to the impact of climate change on some of its most
threatened resources, particularly its water resources and its agricultural
resources," said Finamore, who has more than 25 years' experience in
environmental law and policy in the United States, China and Russia.
She said China was "also aware of the
growing need to limit its dependence on oil as a result of its increasing car
ownership," citing a report last week that Tianshan glacier, which
provides 70 percent of the water for Xinjiang Uygur Automonous Region, was
melting rapidly.
"Energy security is a very strong drive
here," she added.
She said
China
had already taken "very
strong actions" under the current Five-Year Plan, adding that it had
pledged to reduce its energy intensity by 20 percent between 2006 and 2010, and
it was already half way toward that goal, which was "quite
remarkable."
"If fully implemented, these actions
alone will reduce
China
's
carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 billion tons, which is larger than that pledged
by all of the other countries who signed the Kyoto Protocol," she said.
Finamore also praised China's "wide
variety of actions", including closing down outdated manufacturing
capabilities and replacing small, inefficient power plants with larger more
efficient ones, strengthening building codes, equipment standards, industrial
processes and efficiency standards, and focusing on its top 1000 most energy
intensive factories, which together account for 40 percent of its energy use.
She also spoke highly of
China
's effort
in revising its targets "over and over again" for the share of wind,
solar and other renewable energy for achieving its targets faster than
anticipated.
Finamore said signing a Memorandum of
Understanding between the
US
and
China
on cooperation in climate change and clean energy was "impressive."
In July this year,
China
sent 150 experts and government officials to
Washington
, where they signed the memorandum
with the Obama Administration.
Alex Wang, senior attorney at NYDC and
director of NRDC's China Environmental Law Project, provided a briefing on how
China
was
meeting its policies' targets. He said evaluating officials' performance in
dealing with carbon emissions in
China
helps the world effort in
this regard, too.
The meeting was chaired by Jerome Alan Cohen,
an internationally renowned expert on the Chinese legal system, and was
attended by Orville Schell, an expert on Far Eastern History and noted Chinese
experts.
The discussion was jointly hosted by Asia
Society, the NRDC,
New York
University
's US-Asia Law
Institute, and the CFR.
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-11/10/content_8945896.htm )
November 4 (China Daily) –
Major
State
-owned
companies have taken great leaps to cut down on their carbon emissions,
according to a State-run commission, in a key boost to the government's
campaign to combat climate change.
Energy consumption per 10,000-yuan output
($1,470) of more than 130 central enterprises dropped 4.8 percent last year
compared with 2005, according to a conference of the State-owned Assets
Supervision and Administration Commission yesterday.
The emission of sulfur dioxide last year
dropped 11 percent compared with 2007 and 23 percent compared with 2005, said
Huang Shuhe, deputy director of the commission.
The five largest State-owned power generation
enterprises saved 20.73 million tons of standard coal last year, and cut 1.7
million tons of sulfur dioxide emission compared with 2005.
The central enterprises administrated by the
commission are the main body of State-owned enterprises that contribute about
30 percent of
China
's
GDP. From January to September this year, central enterprises have made profits
of 552 billion yuan, and last year achieved profits of 696 billion yuan.
Huaneng Corporation, one of five power
generation giants, was the first coal power group that set up equipment to
collect carbon dioxide. It has initiated a pilot program to collect 3,000 tons
of carbon dioxide annually.
China Southern Power Grid has provided
energy-saving services to 2,743 local enterprises. Because of its higher
charges in energy-inefficient sectors, 617 enterprises of high-energy
consumption have been closed.
"It is an inevitable trend to develop a
green economy. Chinese central enterprises have to make more efforts to achieve
sustainable development," Huang said.
He added that the statistics also gave
China
much-needed support to meet the challenges of potential trade restraints in the
"green" business sector.
He addressed the possibility that the
United States
may impose a carbon tariff on
imports from developing countries such as
China
.
"Some developed countries will build up
trade barriers in the name of environment protection," Huang said, urging
central enterprises to have more say in standards for the manufacturing of
international products.
To
excel in the green economy, central enterprises have to invest more in research
and develop environmentally friendly products, Huang said.
He required central enterprises to put
environmental protection as one of its top priorities as
China
continues to face problems of
high-energy consumption and serious pollution.
On Monday, Premier Wen Jiabao said
China
will insist on key global climate change negotiations next month to build on
current treaties that limit the obligations of poor countries in controlling
greenhouse gas emissions.
Analysts said the central enterprises' green
achievements exhibit the government's efforts to develop a low-carbon economy,
but the road to a green economy will not be smooth.
Han Qi, a professor on
China
's economic studies at the
University
of
International
Business
and Economics, said that "given the central
enterprises' essential role in
China
's
economy, their green movement will promote the economy's transition".
"But besides moral requirements, it's
more urgent to launch a mechanism to encourage enterprises to cut
emissions," Han told China Daily. "The government should provide
preferential policies for the enterprises using clean energy."
(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-11/04/content_8909412.htm )
November 27 (Xinhua) -- A
delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs will attend the
Copenhagen
climate summit next month to
express their views and share experiences.
One of the entrepreneurs Marjorie Yang,
chairwoman of the Hong Kong-based textile manufacturer Esquel Group, said she
looked forward to learning from the conference as well as letting the world
know more about what Chinese companies are doing for environment protection.
"For a company, especially for one
involved in a high-polluting industry like us, environmental protection does
not count on the boss's words alone, it depends on an environmental-friendly
corporate culture," she told Xinhua in
Beijing
.
Esquel, one of the world's leading producers
of premium cotton shirts, managed to reduce its water and energy consumption by
40 and 30 percent respectively from 2005 to 2008.
She did not give specific figures of the
company's profit over the years, but said that they were enjoying a bigger
market share.
Song Jun, a delegation member and boss of a
Beijing-based travel company, said the key to environmental solutions is to
change people's consumption habits.
"With the great population in the world,
the unhealthy habits has a big influence on the environment," Song said.
"We must find a better life style."
He said the answers could be found in the
Chinese culture, which has a long tradition of living harmoniously with the
nature.
On Thursday,
China
's
State Council announced to cut the country's carbon dioxide emissions per unit
of GDP in 2020 by 40 to 45 percent the level of 2005, the first time
China
has put
its commitment in specific figures.
The government said the target would be a
binding index in the national mid or long-term economic and social plans. This
could mean tougher supervisory measures on industrial manufacturers in the
future.
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/26/content_12546379.htm )
