Chinese academicians and officials are beginning to push for sustainable development of the economy, according to accounts published Monday by state-run media.

Minister Xie Zhenhua from the State Environmental Protection Administration, China's version of the EPA, was quoted in China Daily as saying the country's resources and environment can't keep pace with economic expansion using conventional development models.

The paper reported that current trends in China's economy point to a quadrupling of gross domestic product by 2020, but experts such as Niu Wenyuan from the Chinese Academy of Sciences point out that growth has come at huge costs to the environment and high rates of consumption.

Xie was quoted as saying the country should adopt a 'circular economy mode' which emphasizes efficient use of resources and environmental protection to attain sustainable growth.

Circular economy pilot projects are now underway in the city of Suzhou, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, and in southwestern Guiyang, Guizhou province. Seven other provinces (Hainan, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shandong, Zhejiang, Anhui and Fujian) are developing economic plans that pay attention to ecology.