Chinese companies were behind the development of the low carbon economy, said a senior official of the China Business Council for Sustainable Development (CBCSD) at its annual meeting held in Beijing Tuesday.

Wang Jiming, executive president of the CBCSD, said that Chinese companies wanted to know "how to reduce carbon emissions in practice." That was why the CBCSD was creating carbon dioxide emissions standards for the different industries.

The standards for carbon dioxide emissions in petrochemical industry had been completed by the CBCSD, but have yet to be authorized by the country's Standardization Administration, said Wang.

"It will fill the gap in petrochemical industry of China by providing a standard calculation method," said Wang. The standards for carbon dioxide emissions in the cement production sector were also presently being decided.

The CBCSD accepted five new members at the meeting, including Ernst & Young (China) Advisory Limited, increasing its member companies to 75.

"We want to provide better consulting services to our clients on low carbon development. By joining the CBCSD, we can get more information since it bridges the government and companies," said Zhang Youwei, a manager from Ernst & Young (China).