China to reform prices in energy sector

 　　BEIJING, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- China will reform its energy and resource pricing system this year, but will time it to minimize impacts on consumer prices, the country's price regulator said Tuesday.

　　The move is aimed at letting the market play a role in helping¹ users be more economical with their energy use and protect the environment.

　　"We will reform the pricing scheme, and launch it according to economic operation to minimize its overall effect," said Zhou Wangjun, deputy chief of the Price Department with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

　　There has long been criticism that reform of energy and resource pricing is wrongly based on global prices, undermining the buying power of domestic residents as their incomes are relatively² low.

　　"The reform should not be simply regarded as 'raising prices,'" Zhou said in an interview with Xinhua, explaining that it will inevitably³ push up prices for some energy and resource products as their rates were kept low in the past to facilitate the country's economic development and people's daily lives.

　　But it would be hard to ensure domestic supply if prices of energy and resources with high dependence⁴ rates remained lower than these on global markets, the deputy chief said.

　　As China became more integrated into the global market, its dependence on imported resources such as oil and iron ore also increased rapidly.

　　The economy's oil dependence rate has reached 57.5 percent, and its dependence rate of foreign iron ore and natural gas stands at 65 percent and 15 percent, respectively, Zhou noted⁵.

　　"The government will take a comprehensive consideration of its needs in economic and social development, and social bearing capacity," he went on.

　　Zhou said the government will consider global market factors when adjusting prices for products with high dependence rates, while pricing self-supplying products in line with the levels that the domestic market can bear and prices of substitute products.

　　With the consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge⁶ of inflation, easing to 4.1 percent last December after hitting a 37-month high of 6.5 in July, the country seemed to have more room to mull price reforms.

　　But the CPI rebounded⁷ to 4.5 percent in January mainly because of festival and weather factors, Zhou explained.

　　He said the CPI growth will ease significantly from last year, citing that vegetable prices will drop further as the weather gets warmer, and pig prices, which were the main driver for CPI growth last year, also retreated as production increased.

　　The government will continue adopting measures to tame inflation this year, Zhou added, noting that efforts will be made to stabilize⁸ pig and vegetable production, further cut logistics costs, regulate the energy market to ensure supplies and subsidize low-income households.

　　It takes time to narrow the income gap with developed countries, but China's residential⁹ incomes will increase steadily¹⁰ along with its growth and efforts to restructure its income distribution, according to Zhou.

　　The government will focus 2012 price reforms on electricity, oil, natural gas and water, he said, with more cost controls placed on power grid¹¹ companies and differential prices introduced for residential power use this year.

　　The government will also work to shorten the adjusting period for oil prices, and improve the adjustment measure, Zhou added.

　　China's oil pricing system has been the subject of complaints for failing to reflect global oil prices in a timely way. Under the current system, the NDRC will adjust domestic fuel, diesel¹² and gas prices when average prices for Brent, Cinta, and Dubai crude oil move by 4 percent within 22 consecutive¹³ working days.

　　Furthermore, the government will advance pilot price reforms for natural gas in southern Guangdong province and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous¹⁴ region, while promoting water price reforms concerning agricultural use, according to Zhou.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

3 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

4 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

7 rebounded   

弹回( rebound的过去式和过去分词 )； 反弹； 产生反作用； 未能奏效

参考例句：

• The ball rebounded from the goalpost and Owen headed it in. 球从门柱弹回，欧文头球将球攻进。
• The ball rebounded from his racket into the net. 球从他的球拍上弹回网中。

8 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

9 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

10 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

11 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

12 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

13 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

14 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。