China - Spanish help in developing renewable energy sources sought

China's top economic planner has urged the visiting Spanish prime minister to seek ways to help the country meet its rising fuel demand through new renewable energy sources, Xinhua news agency said. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, on the final day of a three-day visit, attended an energy conference with Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan and was told about China's plans to increase its renewable energy use to 13 pct by 2020 from 7.0 pct, Xinhua said.

'Actively exploring renewable energy is an important principle of China's energy development strategy,' Zeng said at a Sino-Spanish renewable energy seminar. China regards the exploration and utilization of renewable energy as one of the top priorities for the country's energy strategy and will adopt a series of preferential policies to accelerate the sector's development, he said. 'Spain is one of the top leaders in the sector of solar and wind energy technology,' Spain's ambassador to China Jose Pedro Sebastian de Erice told the English-language China Daily. 'The Spanish system to promote renewable energies is being analyzed with interest by Chinese authorities.'

Spain's growth in wind power capacity is one of the fastest in the world and the country now ranks second in wind power use ahead of the United States and after Germany, he said. During a luncheon on Friday, Zeng, China's vice premier in charge of the economy, briefed Zapatero on China's economic development and its recent revaluation of its yuan currency. He also urged Zapatero to help convince EU members to grant China WTO market economy status. The status would help Beijing ward off complaints by other World Trade Organization members that its low-cost exports are causing EU job losses. 'I hope the Spanish friends could make more efforts to help promote the concerned countries and regions to recognize China's full market economy status at an early date,' Zeng said.

During his trip Zapatero has held discussions with all of China's top leaders including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, with both sides pledging to deepen relations in all areas and at all levels. Following a meeting with Wen on Thursday, the two leaders oversaw the signing of a dozen agreements, including a deal for 20 Airbus A330 jets worth 3.1 bln usd to be delivered to Air China beginning in May 2006.