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China has finished amending its Energy Conservation Law in a bid to promote energy conservation, improve energy efficiency and cut pollution emissions of the country.

While the new amendment has included more industries in the spectrum of energy conservation, it has also strengthened administrative enforcement of this campaign. Reviews say these new measures could move China towards an energy-saving and environment-protecting economy.

Our Reporter Li Gang has more.

Reporter:

Fu Zhihuan, chairman of the Financial and Economic Committee of the National People's Congress, highlights the significance of China's recent amendment to its Energy Conservation Law.

"It is based on our national conditions, and the promotion of sustainable economical and societal development that we take energy conservation as a long-run goal of our country. The new amendment to the Energy Conservation Law not only aims at curing current problems but also at stabilizing a long-term management system concerning this topic. We have adjusted rules and management regulations in order to reduce energy consumption and avoid energy waste at the fountainhead."

The recent amendment shows remarkable changes on two fronts.

Firstly, the new law includes more industries in the cause of energy conservation. It requires construction projects, the transport sector and government buildings to cut energy consumption. The new law also requires governments at all levels to increase investment in public transportation, improving services and encouraging people to use public transportation.

The second aspect is that the amendment specifies the management system as well as Rewards and Punishment rules concerning energy conservation. It sets up a target responsibility and evaluation system to save energy. The law, which almost doubles the articles of the original, requires that local energy saving standards in the construction industry must be stricter than those set by the central government and industrial associations, since energy saving on buildings is closely related to the local geographic situation.

The amendment to the law also requires that work carried out by local government officials in energy conservation should be integrated into the assessment of their political performance.

Li Mingzhi, vice chairman of the Financial and Economic Committee of NPC:

"While we cared more about economic growth and financial income in the past, we now stick to scientific outlook on development and sustainable economic growth. I believe the new amendment will largely promote China's campaign in energy conservation while specifying duties for local government officials to carry out energy-saving measures."

Under heavy pressure to harness rampant energy consumption, China has adopted energy conservation as one of its basic national policies, pledging to cut energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product by 20 percent by 2010. Experts say the new Energy Conservation Law will pose both challenges and opportunities to different industries in China after its implementation on April 1, 2008.

Li Gang, CRI News.