International energy cooperation and the improvement of China's international framework of energy security will continue to be a matter of importance, a senior Chinese energy researcher said yesterday.

Speaking at an energy security seminar, Zhou Dadi, director general of Energy Research Institute of National Development and Reform Commission, said: "Peaceful energy development is the basis of our national policy."

One of China's energy cooperation objectives is "to ensure the world's supply capacity through investment in energy production," Zhou said. "China will also seek mutually beneficial approaches with energy host countries."

To promote energy security, China will make full use of its domestic resources, diversify energy supplies and further invest in exploration and energy infrastructure, he said.

"China will also endeavor to increase energy efficiency and environmental sustainability," the expert said.

According to Zhou, China's 11th Five-Year Guidelines (2006-10) proposes to cut its per GDP unit energy consumption by 20 per cent by 2010 from the 2005 year-end level.

The proposal also notes that from 2006 to 2010, China will try to meet its energy demand mainly with domestic supply, and will take coal as the main source of energy.

The one-day seminar "Energy Situation in Russia, China & India: from the Foreign Policy Perspective," was organized by the Japanese foreign ministry.

In a speech featuring world energy security, Valery P. Sorokin, an adviser of Russia's Gazprom Group, also stressed the importance of international cooperation in achieving energy security.

"The world's economic development critically depends on its energy market," said Sorokin, "Global energy security means security of supply as much as security of demand."

Sorokin continued to say "global energy security is indivisible," and moved the discussion from energy dialogues to energy partnerships.

(China Daily March 2, 2006)