China now world's biggest energy user(20100803)

China was bound to overtake the US in terms of total energy consumption sooner or later, and according to IEA calculations, it happened in 2009.
One long-term factor behind this (development) is China's population – more than four times that of the US – with a growing (appetite) for consumer goods that need energy to use and to manufacture.
The other key reason is China's rapid economic growth, an (annual) average of 10% over the last two (decades), compared with a much slower 2.6% in the United States. Much of China's economic growth has been in industry and (construction), which are big energy users.
The timing of China (overtaking) the US also reflects the global financial crisis, which hit the American economy much harder and so had a bigger (impact) on the country's energy use.
China's new lead in (energy) consumption is yet another indicator of its growing influence in the global (economy) especially in international energy markets.
But while China's total energy consumption has, (according) to the IEA, overtaken the US, it's still far behind in terms of energy use per (person), by a factor of more than three. Chinese officials have said the IEA's data are (unreliable), and fail to account for what they call their relentless efforts to cut energy use and emissions.
The (response) probably reflects China's sensitivity to criticism of its growing global influence. But the IEA's analysis is not a criticism. A (senior) official at the agency described China's growing energy consumption as legitimate, considering its population.
Andrew Walker, BBC News, London