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Secretariat delegation visits Beijing

China became an observer to the Energy Charter Conference in 2001, and since then it has been involved in the Energy Charter Process. As part of this cooperation, a delegation from the Energy Charter Secretariat visited Beijing in December 2008. During the visit, the Energy Charter delegation held talks with officials from the National Energy Administration focused on strengthening cooperation between the Energy Charter Process and the government of China.

While in Beijing, representatives of the Secretariat also participated in two seminars. On 13 December, the Secretariat delegation spoke on theoretical aspects of the global oil market and on oil taxation issues at the Senior Expert Seminar on International Oil Prices, which was organised by the Beijing Energy Club and hosted by the National Energy Expert Consulting Committee. The meeting was designed as an exchange of views on recent developments in the oil market. Altogether, the seminar brought together some 70 participants from the Chinese government, public institutions and companies as well as foreign experts.

The second seminar, also organised by the Beijing Energy Club, was held at the Energy Research Institute on 15 December and focused on natural gas issues. During the seminar, the delegation outlined some of the Secretariat's recent research on pricing mechanisms, cross-border pipeline issues and international LNG trade. Approximately 30 experts from the Energy Research Institute and invited guests participated in the seminar.