Government eyes nuclear energy as oil price rises

BEIJING - A senior energy official has warned the government to be "fully aware" of the risk of imported inflation as spreading uncertainty in the oil-rich Middle East and North Africa keeps driving up the global oil price.

Zhang Guobao, former chief of the National Energy Administration, also urged the government to speed up the research and development of alternative energy, especially nuclear energy, to reduce heavy dependency on the global oil market.

Talking with China Daily on the sidelines of the two sessions, Zhang, now vice-director of the Subcommittee of Economy under the CPPCC National Committee, said the recent unrest in Libya would not directly affect China's oil imports, as oil from the North African country only accounts for 3 percent of China's annual oil imports, standing at around 240 million tons in 2010.