The closing of China's Central Economic Work Conference from Dec.5-7, 2009, which coincided with the opening of the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, left a message that China was determined to pursue a path of low-carbon development.

　　The three-day conference, responsible for setting the tone for economic development in 2010, agreed that China would step up efforts to boost low-carbon sectors, as part of the strategy of promoting the transformation of economic development pattern.

　　"This demonstrates a remarkable change in China's concept of development, and would greatly help upgrade economic growth pattern and adjust economic structure," said a researcher with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

　　The conference agreed to strictly control the issuing of loans to sectors featuring high energy consumption and high carbon emissions, increase credit support to low-carbon industries, strictly reduce exports of high energy-consuming products and roll out low-carbon economic development pilot plans.

　　The Chinese government's major task this year had been to maintain growth through its stimulus programs amid the global economic downturn, according to a researcher with the China National School of Administration.

　　The conference has put much emphasis on "green" development as 2010 will be the last year of the country's 11th five year plan (2006-2010), a guideline for economic and social development, which set hard targets for reducing energy intensity and emissions.

　　Under the plan, China would reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent and major pollutant emissions by 10 percent from the 2005 levels by 2010, and the country is still working for that goal. The great importance the government attached to emissions cutting suggested the low-carbon concept has gradually merged into the country's development plans.

　　However, it took more than government policies and enforcement to reach the goal, said a researcher with the NDRC. He further commented that "A low-carbon development pattern also needs concerted efforts by the public to change their life styles."