BEIJING, May 8  -- China aims to reduce energy intensity in traditional manufacturing sectors including steel, chemicals, paper and building materials, a senior official of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said Friday.

The move is aimed at better efficiency and a greener economy, MIIT vice minister Mao Weiming said at an industry forum.

"Building a clean, low-carbon and environmentally efficient production process is an urgent priority for accelerating upgrades to traditional industry and a pillar of the 'Made in China 2025' plan," Mao said.

The plan will focus on upgrading the manufacturing sector to improve innovation and integrate industry with technology through green manufacturing and internationalization.

Priority will be given to promoting waste recycling technology, high-efficiency electric motors and boilers, as well as supervising the environmental protection efforts of businesses, said Mao.

China's energy intensity was cut by 4.8 percent last year. But China's energy efficiency was still 6 to 7 percent lower than the world's best practices in the iron and steel industry, and the gap in the building materials sector was about 10 percent, official data showed.