Outdoor billboards are seen along a road in Lanzhou, Gansu province, Jan 18, 2014. Chinese advisors said that environmental protection is a huge undertaking for the province, and should be market-driven. [Photo by He Yini / chinadaily.com.cn]

There are many ways to drive forward the energy saving and environmental protection industries in an ecologically fragile area like Northwest China's Gansu province, but not if the market is shut and centered on local government's decisions, Chinese advisors said.

"Environmental protection is a huge undertaking for the province, and should be market-driven. This is the key to the whole issue," said He Keng, vice chairman of Finance and Economic Committee of the National People's Congress.

He Keng, vice chairman of Finance and Economic Committee of the National People's Congress

"What's left for the local government is to make sure that the market is running in an orderly way under certain mechanisms, and that everyone in these industries is getting equal opportunities, so that the competition is fair and square," he added.

A clear-cut line between the market and the government could help draw more investors from home and aboard, bringing in more advanced experiences and pumping money into research and development in technological innovations and products, he said.

He made the remarks during a keynote speech at the International High-level Energy Conservation & Environmental Protection Industries Promotion Conference of the Central and Western Regions, also known as IPCW, which was held on Jan 19 in Lanzhou, capital city of Gansu province.

The meeting was co-organized by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and International Energy Conservation Protection Environmental Association (IEEPA), at a time when environmental deterioration is starting to weigh on the cash-strapped western province.

Gansu province has been stepping up efforts to bring down its energy consumption and restore the environment, joining the tide of a nationwide green transformation.