China Country Report

Since 2020, the global economy, social development, and public health have been threatened by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. China has explored a series of policies to bring the domestic outbreak under control and to recover gradually. China’s significant progress in many aspects is noteworthy, such as the victory in the critical battle against poverty, promotion of digital currency, outstanding achievements in ecological conservation, and targeting of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. In 2021, energy production grew steadily, energy efficiency continued to improve, the energy consumption structure was optimised, and the level of electrification of end-use energy accelerated. Production of raw coal, crude oil, natural gas, and electricity rose by 4.7%, 2.4%, 8.2%, and 8.1%, respectively, on a year-on-year basis. Energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) was reduced by 2.7% compared with that of 2020 (30% lower than in 2012). The clean energy industry grew rapidly. The proportion of clean energy consumption reached 25.3% in 2021: a remarkable achievement in the energy structure transition. Electricity consumption increased to 8,312.8 billion kilowatt-hours (KWh) or by 10.3% year on year. The report will explore China’s energy development and propose policy recommendations.