Gov't will offer tax break to promote clean energy

China, the world's second-largest energy consumer, will this year begin offering corporate income tax preferences to overseas investors in natural gas processing, marketing and construction of urban gas pipelines in a move to use more of the clean energy source.

Overseas companies investing in these fields will be exempted from the corporate income tax during their first two years of profitability, according to China's tax laws, the State Administration of Taxation said.

Over the following three years they will be charged half of the tax.