Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called for more efforts to revolutionize the country's energy production and consumption habits, in light of changing dynamics in the global energy market.

While presiding over a meeting of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs, Xi, head of the group, acknowledged that China faces challenges to cope with rising energy demand, supply restraints, huge environment costs and backward technology.

To ensure national energy security, China needs to take steps to rein in irrational energy use and control the country's energy consumption by fully implementing energy-saving policies, said Xi.

Energy supply reform will take place to establish a diversified system that contains cleaner use of coal and non-coal fuel including oil, gas, nuclear power and new energy.

Xi urged further efforts in energy technology innovation to forge the industry into a new powerhouse to fuel economic growth.

In addition, the country will firmly push forward reforms in pricing mechanism and try to nurture a competitive energy market, according to the president.

Lin Boqiang, an energy researcher at Xiamen University, said that the Chinese leadership is viewing the energy issue strategically for national development and security, and Friday's meeting bears significance.

However, analysts said scientific innovations to administrative governance are required to push forward a revolution in energy production and consumption.

Niu Li, an economist at the State Information Center, a government think tank, said that shale gas, gas hydrate, electric vehicles and energy-efficient housing are likely to be important areas which will boost an energy revolution.

"After the financial crisis, all nations are trying to nurture new energy technologies as a new engine to drive economic growth," Niu said.

President Xi said China is busy working on a guideline to direct energy production and consumption for the coming years and will speed up revisions of outdated regulations.

Chinese authorities will update coal-burning power generators that fail to meet emission reduction requirements and continue to develop long-distance power transmission lines.

Under the precondition of the highest safety standards, new nuclear projects on the eastern coast will be launched as soon as possible.

Besides, China will expand oil and gas cooperation with countries in central Asia, Middle East, America and Africa.

The country will also intensify its efforts in energy exploration and exploitation and build more oil and gas pipelines and storage facilities, said Xi.

On the back of expanding industrialization and urbanization, the country's energy demand has kept soaring in recent decades. China is now the world's largest energy producer and consumer.

But external uncertainties such as complicated geopolitical situations put China in urgent need to produce more energy itself.

At the same time, pollution problems at home also force the country to reduce the use of fossil fuels and increase energy efficiency.

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