Russia’s Far Eastern Frontier: Energy as a Political Tool
August 1st, 2008
As recently reported in The Japan Focus, Russia’s Far Eastern frontier is now turning into the place where energy export becomes a political tool in shaping the country’s relations with regional neighbors. China, the two Koreas, and Japan are hungry for energy, natural resources and, at the same time, seek economic and political cooperation. In […]
Read more »China & Kyrgyzstan: Closer (But Unbalanced) Ties
August 1st, 2008
From The Asia Times, an interesting examination of China’s efforts to steadily strengthening political and economic ties with small, landlocked Kyrgyzstan, with one eye on the sizeable energy reserves of its neighbors to the north and west. As the article notes, this integration results in Kyrgyzstan’s dependence on Chinese income and infrastructure growing deeper by […]
Read more »China’s (Six Lane) Drive to Become a Leader in African Oil Extraction
July 18th, 2008
Per a recent Energy Daily report, Beijing continues to pursue closer business and political relations in Africa as part of its strategy to become a leader in African oil extraction. As the article notes: “…China has committed $1 billion to the creation of a six-lane highway surrounding Nigeria’s de facto oil capital, Port Harcourt, the […]
Read more »Modern Day Silk Road
June 26th, 2008
As reported by New Eurasia.net, a new Silk Road seems to be in the offing. The article notes: “…[World Bank President] Bob Zoellick used his three-day trip to Kazakhstan to announce a $2.5 billion infrastructure project together with Prime Minister Massimov. A trade corridor linking China and Europe by road has long been in the […]
Read more »China, Africa, and Oil
June 22nd, 2008
Via The Washington Post, a detailed look at how China – intent on getting the resources needed to sustain its rapid growth – is taking its quest to lock down sources of oil and other necessary raw materials across the globe. As the article notes: “…China has turned to Africa, an oil-producing source whose risks […]
Read more »Gazprom and China: Race to Ogoniland
June 16th, 2008
Via Robert Amsterdam’s excellent blog, news that Gazprom and several Chinese state-held firms are aggressively pursuing these gas field stakes left behind by Shell in Nigeria’s troubled Ogoniland- and the government of Umaru Yar’adua has indicated that it will entertain an offer from the group bringing the best infrastructure (read corporate foreign policy) package to […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.