The energy-intensity of China’s export trade

LIU Qiang 1 ( 刘强 ), ZHUANG Xing2 ( 庄幸 ), JIANG Kejuan3 ( 姜克隽 ),
HAN Wenke4 ( 韩文科 ) & HU Xiulian5 ( 胡秀莲 )
1Associate Professor, Energy Research Institute of National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC);
2Associate Professor, Energy Research Institute, NDRC;
3Professor, Energy Research Institute, NDRC;
4Director general and Professor, Energy Research Institute, NDRC;
5 Professor , Energy Research Institute, NDRC

Editor’s Note: In the last few years there have been outcries from abroad criticizing China
for “devouring” the world’s natural resources, particularly mining products and fuel. Such criticism often ignores
an important fact: China is a major export-oriented economy. In 2004, China was the world’s third largest
export economy, after the United States and the EU. Due to its industrial and trade structures, China has been
largely manufacturing high energy-consuming and heavily polluting products on behalf of importing countries.
A meaningful examination of this issue reveals that energy embodied in some of China’s major export products
accounts for a considerable proportion of primary energy consumption.

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