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Every five years, China's Central Government issues a new Five-Year Plan (FYP), a detailed outline of the country’s economic goals for the upcoming ve-year period. The current FYP—the 12th—covers the period from 2011to 2015.

The 12th FYP, which has been hailed as the “greenest” ever, calls for an increase in non-fossil fuel use to satisfy 11.4 percent of electricity demand. It also singles out seven “Strategic Emerging Industries” for special support, three of which are based on emerging energy technologies: new energy, energy conservation and environmental protection, and clean-energy vehicles. The Chinese government plans to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in developing these industries over the period covered by the Plan.