China will change the way it sets annual targets for energy saving and cutting pollution after missing last year's goals by a wide margin, the nation's top economic planner (Ma Kai) said Wednesday.

China is aiming to cut energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent and pollution by 10 percent by 2010 from levels in 2005.

But the project got off to a bad start, with Chinese officials admitting they came nowhere near reaching the target for 2006.

Energy consumption per unit of GDP fell by just 1.23 percent last year, instead of 4.0 percent as planned.

Air and water pollutants were to be reduced by 2.0 percent in 2006 but the key indicators for those instead rose by 1.8 percent and 1.2 percent.

But Ma emphasised that while the annual targets would be adjusted, the five-year goals would remain.

(China Daily 03/09/2007 page5)