Visiting US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on Wednesday hailed China's actions to confront energy challenges.

"Chinese should be rightly be lauded for taking actions that are commensurate with the energy challenges we face," Locke told aworking breakfast in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province.

The gathering involved around 50 executives from US companies that are participants of US-China clean energy cooperation programs, including Boeing, Intel and others.

"China's leaders have begun making important progress confronting the causes of climate change," Locke said.

Along with US Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Agriculture chief Tom Vilsack, Locke was here from Wednesday to Thursday for the annual Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT)talks with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan.

"China has already adopted the most aggressive energy efficiency program in the entire world, and they are on track to exceed many of their renewable energy adoption goals," he said.

Looking to the future US-China energy cooperation, Locke said China's strong and forward thinking rules for clean energy production can help "spur more American and Chinese innovations into the clean energy market."

"To speed up the development of energy efficiency solutions, as well as the production of new fuels and other new energy technologies, it's critical that US and China firms leverage each other' talents," Locke said.

The US commerce chief said earlier that he expected the upcoming JCCT talks would pave the way for significant improvements and progress in the trade relationship between the two countries when President Barack Obama visits China next month.

(Xinhua News Agency October 28, 2009)