China taking climate-change measures

BEIJING, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- China has begun to address its carbon emissions problem in subtle and more overt ways as it plans to modernize its economy, analysts say.

Long considered an obstacle to fighting global warming because it refuses to impose a ceiling on its greenhouse gases, China is taking steps toward developing energy efficiency and renewable resources to secure its own independence, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

"We think this is a new business for us, not a burden," Gan Zhongxue, who heads up research and development at ENN, the dominant natural gas distributor in 80 Chinese cities, told the U.S. newspaper.

The newspaper said China has removed subsidies for motor fuel and has imposed fuel-efficiency standards for new urban vehicles of 36.7 miles per gallon. Meanwhile, it has set high efficiency standards for new coal plants and for buildings, and is urging its top 1,000 greenhouse gas emitters to boost efficiency by 20 percent.

"Regardless of whether the United States passes its own legislation, China will take positive measures because this is a requirement for our own economy to conserve resources," said Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission.