Lighting has been one of the fastest growing electric end uses in China over the last 20 years, with an average annual growth rate of 14%. Fluorescent lighting provides a significant portion of China's lighting needs. In 1998, China produced 680 million fluorescent lamps, of which 420 million were linear fluorescent lamps of various diameters (T8-T12). There are substantial variations both in energy efficiency and lighting performance among locally produced fluorescent lamps. Such variations present a perfect opportunity for policy intervention through energy efficiency standards to promote the adoption of more efficient fluorescent lamps in China. This paper analyzes China's 2003 minimum efficiency standard for linear fluorescent lamps and presents an assessment of its likely impacts on China's lighting energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.