Senior officials yesterday called on the government to treat the development of new energy as its top priority this year if it was serious about easing its energy shortage and improving the environment.

Zhang Guobao, head of the National Energy Administration, said on the sidelines of the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC): "China should never falter in its effort to develop new energy, even though the current financial crisis temporarily cushioned the conflicts between energy supply and demand."

He added: "We should keep a close watch on the development of cutting-edge technologies the world over, and invest more to improve research and development capabilities."