By DPA
Beijing : China will remain dependent on coal for energy in the long-term, but has vowed to give the development of renewable energy “top priority,” the government said in a white paper released Wednesday.
Coal will continue to play the main role as an energy source for a “long time” with efforts stepped up to burn it more cleanly, said the country’s first white paper on energy.
“China will pay more attention to the clean utilisation of energy resources, especially coal, and make it a focus of environmental protection,” the report said.
China is the world’s second largest producer and consumer of energy, behind the US, but said its demand for fuel “will not pose any threat to the world’s energy security”.
The non-binding paper specified goals of reducing total emissions of major pollutants by 10 percent but did not list limits for greenhouse gas emissions. The report did list alternative energy sources such as hydroelectric, nuclear power as well as natural gas exploration.
“China is a developing country with a large population but deficient resources. To attain sustainable economic and social development, it must take the path of conserving resources,” said the paper.
Beijing stressed that all nations have the right to “rationally” use its energy resources, but added that the world needs to cooperate to “safeguard” the stability and security of global energy supplies.