Years of friction may drive legal split of IEA, OECD

Paris

THE West's energy watchdog, the International Energy Agency, faces a possible legal split from its parent body following decades of friction and fresh disagreements over cooperation with China, a document seen by Reuters shows.

Any divorce from the Paris-based founder, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), might complicate funding and confuse governance of the IEA, whose role includes coordinated stock releases to address global oil shortfalls. The dispute also highlights the complexity of cooperation between China and Western organisations such as the OECD, which has a stated commitment to democracy and market economies.