China pledged to reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16 percent in the five years to the end of 2015, the State Council said in a scheme on Sep 7.

In 2009 the country set the goal of slowing greenhouse gas emission increases relative to economic growth by 40-50 percent between 2005 and 2020, and using renewable fuels for 15 percent of its energy, Reuters reported.

In the five years to 2010, China achieved a 19.1 percent decrease in energy consumption per unit of GDP, close to its target of a 20 percent cut.

By Sun Yuanqing