IEA wants closer ties with China

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BEIJING, June 28 (UPI) -- China's energy security could be enhanced by closer alignment with the International Energy Agency, the IEA director said at a summit in Beijing.

Electricity demand in China is expected to triple from 2008 to 2035. Oil imports, meanwhile, could increase from 4.3 million barrels per day in 2009 to almost 13 million bpd by 2035. Natural gas imports are expected to increase by 53 percent during the same period, the IEA said.

IEA Director General Nobuo Tanaka told delegates at a Beijing summit that closer alignment between Beijing and the IEA had its benefits.

Tanaka said the revolution in the Chinese economy was having sweeping ramifications on the global energy sector.

"At the IEA we are proud to be able to embrace such change but urge the new major emerging economies like China to assume their role as equal partners in global energy governance," he said. "Together we can ensure that the transition to a secure, affordable and sustainable energy future is a harmonious one."

He added that his agency recognizes the sovereign right of its partners to make their own decisions. It was "imperative" to bring economies such as China into its sphere in order for the IEA to maintain global credibility, Tanaka said.