The International Energy Agency, the developed world's energy watchdog, has called for China to join the body, warning it risked losing relevance as demand shifted to Asia away from its current members.
Nobuo Tanaka, executive director of the IEA, told the Financial Times: “Our relevance is under question because half of the energy consumption is already in non-Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development countries. And for oil it [will soon be] that the majority of consumption is happening in non-OECD countries.”
Mr Tanaka added: “In many ways they [the Chinese] are already working closely with us. But we wish eventually they would join us.”