Quotable

"The issuance scale in the first six months is lower than the same period of last year, and the cost has been rising due to the increasingly tightened liquidity. ... We have seen most provincial governments set up leading teams to manage and regulate local government debt."

WANG KEBING, deputy head of the budget department at the Ministry of Finance.

"The expansion of China's oil and gas pipelines will substantially boost the country's energy security while ensuring its energy diversification."

ZHENG JIAN, deputy head of the basic industries section at the China National Development and Reform Commission. By 2025, the country's oil and gas pipeline network is expected to reach 240,000 kilometers, with natural gas pipelines reaching 123,000 km, according to the nation's top economic regulator.

"Lithium production has been expanding over the past two years. ... The country's annual consumption of lithium compound is 12 metric tons. ... Half is used in the production of batteries, and the ratio may increase to 66 percent in the future."

ME PEIHUA, a senior government official and former vice-governor of Qinghai province, one of China's biggest source regions.