"China and the United States have already strengthened cooperation in the regard by launching joint projects and research centers," said Zhang.

US President Barack Obama, in his first State of the Union address, said that "there's no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains, or the new factories that manufacture clean energy products".

"I am quite happy the US has realized our competitiveness in the regard," said Zhang.

However, Zhang is concerned about some disturbing trends.

This was in contrast with a previous downward trend when total energy consumption growth declined from 9.5 percent in 2005 to 4 percent in 2008.

But last year, China's economic growth, which stood at 8.7 percent, was the lowest during the past five years.

"It appears that some local governments approved energy-guzzling projects during economic crisis," said Zhang. "So only by fully implementing our energy saving regulations can we realize economic growth with less energy consumption."

Bao Wanxian contributed to the story.