IEA Executive Director calls for stronger institutional ties with China

The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Executive Director, Fatih Birol, has called for a ‘new era’ of institutional ties between China and the IEA in which China fully participates in the Agency’s work.

“A key part of that vision is to develop a truly International Energy Agency,” Birol said.

Birol said he was aiming to discuss with Chinese officials ways in which China could become a ‘full participant’ in the work of the IEA, and added, “That may take time, but now is the moment to start working on the process.”

Birol’s announcement came during a visit to Beijing - his first official foreign trip since taking over as leader of the IEA, on 1 September. In remarks to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Birol said his visit to Beijing is a tangible demonstration of his vision to modernise the IEA.

“China is a great nation with a leading role in many aspects of world energy,” he said. “For China’s sake and also for the sake of the rest of the world, it is vitally important that China be a full participant in the international energy debate.”

Edited from press release by Angharad Lock

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