Mr Qiuye XIE, President of EPPEI, was welcomed by Energy Charter Secretary-General Dr Urban Rusnák who provided an introduction and expanded upon the positive relationship that exists between the two organisations. The Secretary-General briefed on the ongoing work at the Secretariat and elaborated on the current stage of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) modernisation process. The delegation was then informed on work related to China in the consolidation and expansion (CONEXO) unit and was updated on the Energy Investment Risk Assessment (EIRA) project which is due to be presented later this year. They also spoke at length about the ECT dispute settlement mechanism and the investment protection mechanism.

China is an Observer to the Energy Charter Conference and is finalising the technical preparation for accession to the Energy Charter Treaty. Through this visit, both parties expressed their desire for further cooperation and collaboration. EPPEI expressed that the research report will be submitted to the National Energy Administration, and will be used as an important guideline for the government’s decision on the cooperation between China and the International Energy Charter.