you are talking about energy efficiency in the steel industry, but your data is about the energy efficiency for the economy as a whole.
a. evidence is not relevant to your conclusion.
b. This number has the following problems.
1.exchange rate between USD/RMB can be distorted (not set by the market force). If people use purchasing power parity exchange rate, the seemingly efficiency between US and China will disappear (I am not picking a bone here, but be careful in the validity of data).
2.Americans have much higher car ownership/ usage, which pushes up the barrel of oil per million USD -- America seems very inefficient compared with Japan and Europe if we look at this measure (which I am not sure).
3.Japan and America has a larger service sector (US. 14% in 2000; Japan is close to 25%), but China has a larger manufacturing sector.
these three economies are at different stages of development, GDP composition drives the result too.
