Standards formulated amid energy-saving drive

BEIJING - China has drawn up 54 national standards regarding energy efficiency since 2012 as part of the country's efforts to reduce carbon emissions and push forward industrial restructuring.

Those energy-saving standards have stipulated usage restrictions on sectors such as cement, coal, rare earths and chemicals, and imposed basic standards in related management systems, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in an online statement Thursday.

The formulation of such standards came under a program initiated in 2012, in which the planner said it wanted to formulate or revise 100 major energy-saving standards within two years amid the government's efforts to build a greener economy.

By the end of 2015, China aims to lower its energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16 percent from 2010 and lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 17 percent, according to the government's 12th Five-year Plan (2011-2015).