China overtook the U.S. as the world's largest energy consumer.

<P> International Energy Agency (IEA) said yesterday that China had overtaken the United States last year, the world's largest energy consumer. .This is expected to increase in the global energy market that Beijing's influence. .</ P> <P> International Energy Agency is the energy watchdog of rich countries. .The agency said that last year, China consumed 2.252 billion tons of oil equivalent of energy, its sources including coal, oil, nuclear power, natural gas and hydropower, about 4% higher than the U.S.. .Most of the past century, the United States has been the world's largest energy consumer. .</ P> <P> the International Energy Agency data show that in the global economic downturn, stagnant growth in energy consumption in the United States on the occasion, the growing Chinese economy is how to promote the increase in energy consumption. .</ P> <P> is expected that China will decide on the extent of increasing global use of energy, from what the production car, to the construction of any power plant. .</ P> <P> "will have a significant multiplier effect," Fatih Birol, chief economist at the International Energy Agency (FatihBirol) said. .</ P> <P> China has been able to exceed the rate expected to become the world's largest energy consumer, to a certain extent, because over the past 10 years, the U.S. lead in improving energy efficiency in China. .Per capita basis, U.S. energy consumption is still far more than China, and energy efficiency is still lower than Europe. .</ P> <P> "2000 U.S. energy consumption is twice as energy consumption in China has now surpassed the United States," Birol said. .</ P> <P> In the meantime, the United States to improve energy efficiency by 2.5% annually, while China only increased by 1.7% per year. .</ P> <P> Although the International Energy Agency warned on China's energy demand last year, the data are still preliminary, but increasing energy use in China is an indisputable fact. .Western countries, policy makers around Beijing has aggressively sought oil supply (from Kazakhstan to the Sudan) and China's growing concerned about carbon emissions. .</ P> <P> China is already the world's largest coal consumer. .Although the country has huge coal resources, but this year, China's coal imports expected to reach 105 million to 115 million tons, to surpass Japan as the world's largest coal importer. .Only three years ago, China was a net exporter of coal. .</ P> <P> This trend is also evident in the oil sector. .The world's most important oil exporter Saudi Arabia's oil sales to China last year, the first time exceeded exports to the U.S., and after several decades the U.S. has been Saudi Arabia's most important customers. .</ P>.