For the 11^th Five-Year Plan (FYP) period, China set a target of reducing its energy intensity (energy consumptionper unit of GDP) by 20 percent compared to the 2005 baseline, and it achieved a 19.06 percent reduction. This is equivalent to a 630 Mtce reduction in energy against the baseline and corresponds to avoided carbon dioxide emissions of 1550 Mt CO₂. Despite this avoided CO₂ emissions, China’s total emissions grew by 33.6 percent, resulting in the country’s emergence as the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter.

This review explores China’s low-carbon development efforts under the 11^th FYP period. What drove the decline in energy intensity? How did government actions contribute to this decline? What are the implications of China’s experience for the 12^th FYP?