China now world's biggest energy userChina has passed the United States to become the world's biggest energy user, according to the International Energy Agency.
However, Chinese officials say that the IEA's data are unreliable.
One long-term factor behind this development is China's population - more than four times that of the US - with a growing appetite for consumer goods that need energy to use and to manufacture.
(BBC 23 July 2010)
