China has delayed a planned summit of top and Asian energy officials until December as countries in the region deal with tensions caused by North Korea's recent nuclear test.
The meeting between and Asian officials is due to be a rare high-level gathering in a country that is seeking to play a larger role in international energy affairs.
It was originally scheduled for October 23rd-26th but has now been moved to December 6th, an official from China's top economic planning body said.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which is headed by Ma Kai, also sets energy policy and will host the conference.
Asked why the date had been shifted, the official said only that participants China, India, Japan, South Korea and the United States had agreed to the change after consultations.
But with the world bracing for a second possible nuclear test by China's reclusive neighbour and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice due to fly into Beijing on Friday as part of an Asian tour, top officials may have wanted to put discussions about energy issues temporarily to the side.
Beijing has tended to take a back seat at global energy discussions but is now seeking greater influence in coordinating global consumer policy to help rein in oil prices - although oil markets have fallen over 20 per cent from a July peak.
The meeting, spearheaded by the NDRC, will also focus on the issue of strategic reserves, which China and India are building as their imports rise, an Indian source said.
China is not part of the 26-member International Energy Agency (IEA), the industrialised world's oil watchdog, which manages 1.5 billion barrels in government-held oil reserves.