China reports better energy efficiency in 2012

Said this helped counterbalance slowest economic growth in 13 years.

China said that despite slow economic growth, total energy use rose even less. Energy consumption climbed 3.9% but energy use per unit of output dropped 3.6% compared to a GDP growth of 7.8%..

In 2011, energy growth soared to a four-year high of 7% while GDP rose 9.3 percent. The slowdown in GDP growth has reduced energy intensity, giving the government a better chance of meeting its five-year goal of a 16% efficiency increase by 2015.

Foreign analysts, however, believe if slowdown in the stimulus and infrastructure spending makes it hard to tell whether China has made basic improvements in efficiency or not.

They concede there is an improvement but that since these are the only numbers they have, it is difficult to tell how it happened.