In the context of the Charter modernisation process, the Chinese delegation emphasised the importance of the Treaty's geographic expansion, which would raise the attractiveness of the whole Charter Process. The delegation updated the Secretariat on the recent restructuring of China's National Energy Administration and provided a general overview of China's current energy policies. The Secretariat informed the Chinese delegation of its recent activities in the Asia-Pacific region. The Secretary General Dr. Rusnák invited the Chinese side to participate more actively in Charter activities, including the work of the Energy Charter Groups, the Industry Advisory Panel, and the Energy Charter Secretariat Knowledge Centre.

China was granted the status of Observer to the Charter on 17 December 2001 when its application was approved by the Energy Charter Conference at its 9th meeting.