The Magnitude And Structure Of Embodied Energy In Foreign Trade Of China

Along with the rapid development of urbanization and industrialization, China has output huge industrial products to the world at the same time, also faces increasingly serious energy and environment pressure. In recent years, the Chinese government have adjusted the structure of economy and promoted energy conservation and emission reduction policy vigorously, and energy consumption intensity and pollution emission of Chinese industry have reduced considerably. But in the world, the point of view like "energy threat theory" and "climate threat theory" about China still continued popularly. It brings pressures and challenges for Chinese future development.In this paper, we use the concept of "embodied energy" and World Input–Output Database which has regional input-output tables and the national energy consumption data to analyze the energy embodied in the trade between China and the world’s major regions(EU-27, NAFTA, East Asia and BRIIAT) during 1995-2011. There are special importance in the trade between China and EU. So we focus on analyzing the connotation of energy embodied in their trade in this paper, from aspects of the structure of 14 industrial sectors, primary energy and country’s energy flow.We found that the energy embodied in Chinese export increase with the Chinese trade year by year. Compared with major developed countries, the energy consumption intensity of China is still large, but the gap is narrowing. The proportion of energy embodied in Sino-EU trade is more than 20% of the total embodied energy, secondly to the NAFTA, and gradually over the East Asia. China is the net embodied energy exporter in China-EU trade, facing a serious trade surplus and the ecological deficit. The proportion of net energy embodied in China-EU trade is accounted for 5.5 of Chinese total energy consumption. The structure of primary energy is given priority to with fossil energy products, which the coal and crude consumed accounts for nearly 80% of total net embodied energy. In the study of net embodied energy flow of EU members, Germany is the biggest ecological benefit in China-EU trade. Thus, the trade deficit and energy intensity differences are the most important cause of our ecological deficit in China-EU trade. Based on the conclusions above, this paper puts forward the corresponding inspiration and suggestions...