China stands ready to conduct energy dialogue and cooperation with other countries in Asia and the world at large on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in Qingdao Tuesday.

Regarding energy development and cooperation, he said "the Chinese government stands for setting store by the overall interests, namely, to accommodate the interests of others while safeguarding a country's own interests, and to achieve common development through consultation and cooperation."

Addressing the opening ceremony of the third foreign ministers' meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, he said since China has a large population and its economy has sustained rapid growth, its energy production and consumption has kept increasing.

"We will mainly rely on the development of domestic resources, and step up the development and utilization of coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear energy and various types of new energy," he said.

"We will also take energy saving and building an energy-saving society as an important state policy, promote technological progress and encourage rational consumption through economic restructuring," Wen said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 22, 2004)