China is the world's second largest oil consumer, only after the United States; and is the world's largest energy consumer. Natural gas usage in China has increased rapidly in recent years, and China is looking to increase the import of pipeline natural gas and liquefied natural gas. A recent survey indicates that most of buildings in China consume more electricity, heat and water resources compared to those of developed countries. For instance, energy consumption for Beijing residents is three times as much as that of the families in north Germany under the similar weather conditions.
中国是世界第二大石油消耗国，仅次于美国，同时也是世界最大的能源消耗国。中国的天然气使用量在近几年高速增加，中国正在寻求增加管道天然气和液化天然气（liquefied natural gas）的进口量。最近一项调查表明，中国的大部分建筑所消耗的电、热和水等资源比发达国家的同类建筑要多。例如，在相似的气候条件下，北京居民家庭平均消耗的能源是德国北部家庭的三倍。
