Experts call for energy structure upgrade

Experts said China's energy sector needs to further open up and develop alternative resources as the nation's energy consumption continues to rely heavily on coal and imported petroleum.

Zhou Dadi, a senior researcher at the China Energy Research Society, said in an interview with Economic Daily that the nation's petroleum and natural gas sector remains largely dependent on imports.

In 2017, China imported 396 million metric tons of petroleum, up 10.8 percent year-on-year.