China's current drive for an energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly society will bring business opportunities worth up to US$300 billion in the coming five years, said a senior Chinese trade official.

Wei Jianguo, deputy minister of commerce, said the figure indicated that 30 percent of worldwide orders for energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly technologies and equipments would come from China.

In its 2006-2010 action plan for energy efficiency and pollution reduction made public last April, China vowed to cut its per-unit energy consumption by around 20 percent during the five year period, and discharge of pollutants by 10 percent.

China also plans to lower its per-unit water consumption by 30 percent and recycle at least 60 percent of its solid waste by 2010.

Nationwide efforts have been launched to phase out outdated power generator and steel and iron plants as they are inefficient in energy use.

China has pulled down 253 outdated small and coal-fired power generator units across the country during the first nine months of this year, which have a combined generating capacity of 9.03 million kilowatts.

By replacing them with larger and efficient power generators, the moves would save China 13.5 million tons of coal each year, while reducing emission of 27 million tons of carbon dioxide.

Meanwhile, officials with China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which is responsible for the national energy conservation program, said China will import a considerable amount of technologies and equipments to realize its five-year energy efficiency and environmental protection targets.

They said China hoped to expand its cooperation in that regard with other countries, including Japan, which is renowned for its resource-efficient technology and equipment.

Addressing the Second China-Japan Forum on Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection last week, Ma Kai, minister of the NDRC, said the Chinese government is ready to formulate policies, promote projects and build a technology transfer system between the two countries' private enterprises.

Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Amari Akira said at the two-day forum that Japan is ready to share its experience with China in the field.

More than 500 officials, experts and entrepreneurs from Japan participated in the forum, and ten agreements have been signed between enterprises and local governments of the two countries.

During the forum, the NDRC released guidelines defining the key cooperation subjects, including 23 technologies in energy efficiency, nine for water saving, 18 in resource utilization and 13 in environmental protection.

This forum was co-hosted by China's NDRC and Ministry of Commerce, and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Japan-China Association on Economy and Trade.

The first forum took place in Tokyo in May last year.

(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2007)