The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is mulling over China’s entry to the market economy club. Angel Gurria, OECD secretary-general, said it has already "expressed interest" in a membership offer to China.

The OECD is a forum for governments of 30 market economies, including the US and UK, that produce almost 60 percent of the world’s goods and services, to work together to address the economic, social and governance challenges of globalization as well as to exploit its opportunities.

Newly appointed director of the National Energy Bureau, Zhang Guobao, said China is keen to join the OECD.

"The engagement of China is a necessity for effectively addressing the global issues," Gurria said. "The world faces a new set of opportunities and challenges and China lies at the heart of them."

China’s economy has been growing at breakneck speed for some time, bringing both benefits and challenges for the country and the world. Gurria said that innovative policies are needed to curb income inequality and regional disparities, balance rural and urban development, control natural resources consumption, increase clean energy use and improve the environment.

"OECD countries are facing similar challenges, which they are all trying to tackle through sharing experiences and solutions," Gurria said.

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