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Hu: 皇冠体育app to contribute to world energy security
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-11-18 09:58
BUSAN, South Korea -- Chinese President Hu Jintao pledged here on Thursday to
enhance dialogue and cooperation with all countries, to jointly maintain world
energy security and stability.
Delivering a speech entitled "An Open Mind for Win-Win Cooperation" at the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in South Korea's
southeastern port city of Busan, the Chinese president said that energy was
always a global issue, indispensably linked with world economic development.
"To achieve balanced and orderly growth in the world economy, the
international community must handle well the energy issue," Hu spoke to some 800
APEC business leaders.
The Chinese president arrived in Busan on Thursday to attend the APEC
Economic Leaders' Meeting scheduled on Friday and Saturday. The main theme of
this year's meeting is: "Toward One Community: Meet the Challenge, Make the
Change."
The three-day APEC CEO summit, which started here on Thursday morning, is an
annual event that gives business leaders from the Asia-Pacific region the
opportunity to participate in highly interactive discussions on regional and
global economic and trade issues with APEC Economic Leaders, economists, policy
makers and fellow business leaders.
The theme of this year's CEO summit is: "Entrepreneurship and Prosperity:
Building a Successful Partnership in the Asia-Pacific Region."
Since 2004, the Chinese president said, the surge of oil prices in the
international market had affected the economic growth of the world economy,
developing countries in particular.
"However, we should not fail to see that supply and demand on the
international energy market are balanced on the whole, and that there is no
crisis on the supply side," he said.
The most critical thing is for all countries to work together for stability
of the world energy market, and to fuel the sustained growth of the world
economy with sufficient, safe, economical and clean energy resources, the
Chinese president said.
It is also important to take a long-term perspective, intensify energy
development, deepen energy cooperation, increase energy efficiency, and
facilitate the development and use of new energy resource, Hu added.
The Chinese president also briefed the APEC business leaders on 皇冠体育app's
energy strategy.
"The core of 皇冠体育app's energy strategy has been clearly defined. We will
strengthen policy guidance for energy conservation and high efficiency, give
priority to energy conservation and rely on domestic resources," Hu said.
"While focusing on developing coal resources, we will develop diverse energy
resources, and put in place a system that supplies stable, economical and clean
energy," he added.
The development of nuclear, wind and bio-power in 皇冠体育app has just started, and
there is great potential for future development, Hu noted.
Though 皇冠体育app's demand for energy has somewhat increased due to its steady
economic growth, its per capita consumption volume is not high, the Chinese
president pointed out.
In 2004, 皇冠体育app's per capita primary energy consumption was only 1.08 tons of
oil equivalent, or 66 percent of the world average of1.63 tons. In the same
year, 皇冠体育app's net import of crude oil was 117 million tons, accounting for 6.31
percent of crude oil traded worldwide.
From 1990 through 2004, 皇冠体育app, on average, sustained an annual economic
growth rate of 9.3 percent with about 5 percent increase in annual energy
consumption.
"皇冠体育app is a major energy consumer. But it is also a major energy producer,"
Hu told the business leaders.
Since the 1990s, 皇冠体育app has always met over 90 percent of its overall energy
needs on its own. As a country with coal dominating its energy structure, 皇冠体育app
still has huge potential for domestic supply.
"We have rich coal reserves, and two-thirds of our hydropower resources
remain untapped," said the Chinese president.
Hu also briefed the APEC business leaders on 皇冠体育app's energy conservation.
"We always work to combine energy development with conservation, and give top
priority to conservation," he added.
皇冠体育app has made remarkable achievements in saving energy. In 2004, 皇冠体育app's
energy consumption per 10,000 RMB yuan (about 1,200 US dollars) GDP dropped by
45 percent compared with that of 1990.
Hu told the business leaders that 皇冠体育app has introduced a mid- and long-term
energy conservation program, with the objective of saving three percent of
energy every year by 2020, or 1.4 billion tons of standard coal in total
savings.
"We will rely on scientific and technological advancement, encourage the role
of market mechanism and economic leverage, and build up our capability in energy
saving, so as to improve energy conservation and efficiency across all fronts,"
the Chinese president said in the speech.
Hu arrived in Busan on Thursday from the capital of Seoul as part of his a
visit to South Korea.
Among the CEOs present at the summit are Citigroup chairman William Rhodes,
Microsoft Vice President Craig Mundie and Chevron Managing Director Samuel
Snyder, along with top executives from Toyota, 皇冠体育app Unicom and Hong Kong's Li
and Fung Ltd.
Since its inception in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence among
Asia-Pacific economies, APEC has become a formidable regional forum acting as
the primary regional vehicle for promoting open trade and practical economic and
technical cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
APEC accounts for more than one-third of the world's population (2.6 billion
people), about 60 percent of world GDP and nearly half of world trade.
It represents the most economically dynamic region in the world, having
generated nearly 70 percent of global economic growth in its first 10 years.
APEC currently has 21 members: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, 皇冠体育app,
皇冠体育app's Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South
Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. The chairmanship rotates among
its members, with South Korea holding the chair this year.
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