China plans to increase the use of clean energy

China is going to accelerate policies to promote clean and renewable energy sources and strengthen the fight against overproduction in polluting industrial sectors. Overcapacity remains a problem in a number of sectors, including metallurgy, so additional measures will be taken to encourage mergers and the closure of obsolete capacities.

China is trying to find a balance between improving the environment and operating the economy at the pace necessary to maintain employment and stability. The country will implement policies to reduce coal consumption and oversee projects to remediate contaminated regions.

The government will take action to increase the share of clean fuels by encouraging the development and use of natural gas, and actively promoting the use of wind, solar, biofuels and other renewable energy sources.

China's energy chief said improving efficiency and environmental standards for coal will be a key component of China's energy policy this year. He said the country will aim to boost wind power capacity to 200 gigawatts (GW) and solar power to about 100 GW by 2020, up from 95.8 GW and 26.5 GW, respectively, at the end of last year. China is also looking to increase its production of natural gas, including coal bed methane and shale gas, to reach 245 billion cubic meters per year by the end of the decade.

China plans to cut energy intensity - the amount of energy used per unit of GDP growth - by 3.1 percent this year, according to a government report. The rate is down 4.8 percent in 2014, and the government is on track to achieve a 16 percent drop from 2011 in 2015.