ABSTRACT
From 1981 through 1995 China's energy production and consumption grew at annual average rates of 4.8 percent and 5.2 percent respectively. As the real gross domestic product (GDP) average annual growth during the period was 10.2 percent, the elasticity of energy versus GDP was 0.47. Converting GDP to single output units, in the case of the Eighth Five Year Plan, per-unit energy consumption was 0.46. This indicates substantial scope for energy conservation. Compared to the Mao Zedong era, then, substantial progress has been made in energy conservation. Coal is the source of three-fourths of China's energy, and this proportion is not expected to change for a long time. Coal supply and demand first came into balance during the Seventh Five Year Plan period. In 1996 crude-oil production was 157 million tons. China has become a net importer of crude oil, and the volume of oil imports is expected to continue to rise during the Ninth Five Year Plan period.
