China may experience slower growth in electricity demand in the second half of this year as higher prices curb use.

Power demand will increase by as much as 12.5 per cent in the second half, 1.5 percentage points lower than last year, according to the National Development and Reform Commission. Higher prices may encourage the use of cleaner fuels and equipment to cut pollution.

Meanwhile, growth in coal demand in China may also slow in the second half of the year as policies to curb industrial investment and save energy take hold, the commission says on its website.

Corruption crackdown

The Communist Party of China (CPC) has renewed efforts to strengthen supervision over the personal conduct of leading officials to curb corruption and build a clean government.

The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee last week called for stricter internal supervision within the Party by better implementing the decade-old Regulations on Reporting Major Personal Matters by Leading Officials.

The move follows a recent spate of corruption cases involving high-ranking officials such as Li Baojin, chief prosecutor of Tianjin, and Zhu Junyi, director of the Shanghai Municipal Labour and Social Security Bureau.

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