This is part of the government's drive to improve the country's energy consumption efficiency.

The 57-year-old former environmental chief resigned in December, 2005 following a chemical spill that seriously polluted the country's northeastern Songhua River. The NDRC is one of China's most powerful agencies making economic decisions. Xie, who began working for the NDRC at the end of 2006, is in charge of environmental protection and energy saving. Ma Kai, minister of the NDRC, says that China is facing severe problems relating to high energy consumption and heavy environmental pollution.

China had planned to cut its per unit GDP energy consumption by four percent in 2006. But officials failed to fulfill the target. Figures show that the country's energy consumption per unit of GDP rose by 0.8 percent, instead of a decrease in the first half of 2006.

The NDRC decided to make stronger efforts to achieve its goal to reduce its energy consumption efficiency by 20 percent in the five years up to 2010. And Xie's experience in the work of environmental protection may help to yield results.

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