Ethnic Chinese tipped as US energy chief

"It's very exciting because Obama would be the first president-elect to have a Nobel Prize-winning scientist as energy secretary," David Rodgers, deputy assistant secretary to the US Department of Energy, told China Daily Thursday.

"I am confident that the US Department of Energy, under Chu's leadership, will continue to emphasize clean energy."

At the Berkeley laboratory, Chu is a leader not only in energy efficiency and renewable energy research, but also in international cooperation with China and India, Rodgers said at a press conference in the US embassy in Beijing.

"Along with the partnership with China, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has already demonstrated tremendous commitment to international cooperation. This is something I'm sure Chu will bring with him to the Department of Energy," Rodgers said.

Chu's nomination would reflect the Obama administration's aim of uniting all major political forces in the US and that Chinese Americans are playing an increasingly important role in US politics, said Zhou Shijian, senior researcher with Tsinghua University's Center for China-US Relations Studies.

Chu's ethnic origin will help strengthen Sino-US cooperation in the energy sector through more cooperation in nuclear energy and exchange of clean energy technologies, Zhou said.

Since Obama has put environmental issues high on his agenda, China and the US will cooperate more in the sector, and Chu's presence will make the cooperation smoother, Zhou said.

Editor:Zhang Ning