Huang, H.; Chen, X.; Yue, X., and Chen, M., 2019. The relationship between industrial production performance and energy conservation efficiency in coastal and inland cities in China. In: Yu, T.-s. (ed.), Environmental Sustainability: Water Resources Integrated Management and the Development of Coastal Environments. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 96, pp. 12-20. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.

With the increase of environmental pollution brought by the high-speed economic growth in China, in recent years, the Chinese government has increasingly attached importance to the protection of environment while pursuing economic development. However, previous studies in China rarely discussed the relationship between production efficiency and energy performance across different provinces and regions in China. This study therefore includes the data of China Urban Statistical Yearbook and analyzes the changes in industrial production performance and energy conservation efficiency in coastal and inland cities in China from 2009 to 2014. First, empirical evidences showed that coastal cities had the highest mean score of production and energy efficiency over the years, followed by central provinces and then western provinces. There was an inward extension of performance reduction along the coastline, that is, the closer to the sea, the higher was the industrial production performance. Second, production performance and energy conservation efficiency were negatively correlated. In order to effectively improve the environmental governance in China, it is important to improve the production performance and energy conservation efficiency in inland cities, which may also help solving the unbalanced development of regional economy in China.