Qiu Baoxing, vice minister of construction, said Thursday it is crucial to promote energy efficiency in a large number of new buildings in China.

Approximately two billion square meters of floor area was being constructed annually, accounting for half of the world's total, Qiu said at a press conference at the Information Office of the State Council.

The new buildings are not only related to China's sustainable development, but to the world's economy and climate changes, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2006)