China dismissed claims yesterday that it was the world's largest energy consumer, calling the latest estimates from the International Energy Agency “not very credible”.

The energy watchdog disclosed on Monday that China had overtaken the US in energy consumption, according to preliminary estimates. The news – and China's quick reaction – underlines the sensitivities that surround China's thirst for energy, particularly as the government struggles to meet ambitious efficiency targets by the year's end.

Zhou Xian, head of the general office of the Nat--ional Energy Administration, dismissed the numbers. “When the IEA came to China to publish its energy outlook a couple of days ago, they also overestimated China's energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions,” he said. “We think that is because of a lack of knowledge about China, especially about China's latest developments of energy conservation and renewable energy.”