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 III. All-round Promotion of Energy Conservation

China is a developing country with a large population but deficient resources. To attain sustainable economic and social development, it must take the path of conserving resources. China started energy conservation work in a planned and organized way in the early 1980s, and achieved the goal of quadrupling economic growth while doubling energy consumption by the late 1990s by implementing the policy of "stressing both development and saving, with priority given to saving." To further promote energy conservation, the Chinese government made conservation of resources a basic state policy, and issued the Decision of the State Council on Strengthening Energy-conservation Work. The Chinese government has always regarded energy conservation as a major factor in macro control and as breakthrough and driving force for transforming the pattern of economic development and optimizing economic structure. While advancing the work of saving energy and reducing emissions, the Chinese government depends on structural adjustment as the fundamental approach, on scientific and technological advances as the key, on improved administration as a crucial measure, on the strengthening of law enforcement as an important guarantee, on the deepening of the reform as an internal motive force, and on public participation as the social foundation. It promulgated and implemented the Medium- and Long-term Special Plan for Energy Conservation, setting the goal for energy consumption reduction during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010) and sharing out the tasks and responsibilities to the various provinces, autonomous regions and 14