China strives to cut oil consumption via energy-efficient automobiles

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, November 18, 2003

China strives to cut oil consumption via energy-efficient automobiles

Experiencing mounting reliance on imported oil, China is exploring the possibility of cutting its oil consumption by promoting energy-efficient automobiles.

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Experiencing mounting reliance on imported oil, China is exploring the possibility of cutting its oil consumption by promoting energy-efficient automobiles.

"To squeeze automobile oil consumption will be one of the government's top priorities in the years to come," said Liu Shijin,a researcher of the think-tank of China's cabinet, the Development Research Center of the State Council, at a seminar held from Nov. 15-17 in Beijing.

According to Liu, the imbalance between the country's limited oil supply and fast-rising auto consumption has become more obvious in recent years.

While the number of autos in China is set to rise from around 20 million in 2002 to 30 million in 2005, China's reliance on imported oil could grow further.

Experts attending the seminar pointed out that auto consumption will be a major force driving up the country's oil demand. According to researchers' estimates, the country's auto transportation sector consumed 42.93-71.56 million tons of oil in 1998, accounting for 21.7-36.1 percent of the country's total oil consumption.

The country's relatively backward auto technologies and the fact that old autos account for 25 percent of the country's autos are the two major factors to blame for the over-demand for oil, experts say.

So enhancing the oil efficiency of autos, encouraging the development, purchase and use of energy-efficient autos, and attracting car makers strong at oil-efficient auto production to the market is quite urgent for China, many attendees of the seminar said.

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