Turkmenistan: Balancing China, Russia, and Europe
November 29th, 2007
As cogently analyzed by Stratfor (subscription required), Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimukhammedov’s recent announcement that a pipeline supplying Russia with natural gas from Turkmenistan would be upgraded may just be another effort by the Turkmen leader to string Russia along — for as long as he can — until a better option, most likely China, comes […]
Read more »Afghanistan “Cops Out” to China
November 28th, 2007
From Radio Free Europe, news that Afghanistan has awarded China’s state-owned China Metallurgical Group with the right to develop a large copper field to the south of Kabul, following two years of bidding. According to the article, CMG agreed to invest billions of dollars in the project and related infrastructure development — including the construction […]
Read more »More Evidence that Big Oil Shrinking in Influence…
November 16th, 2007
In my 10 November post ($100 Oil: Creating a New World Order), I focused on the shift in power away from traditional Big Oil towards state run oil companies in some emerging nations. Steve LeVine, in his always informative Oil and Glory blog, offered further evidence today of the shrinking influence of Big Oil: “…After […]
Read more »$100 Oil: Creating a New World Order
November 10th, 2007
An interesting look by The New York Times at how the approach of triple-digit oil prices has redrawn the economic and political map of the world, causing oil-rich nations to enjoy historic gains and opportunities, while major importers — including China and India — confront rising economic and social costs. “…Managing this new order is […]
Read more »Oiling the Silk Road…
November 8th, 2007
Kazakh national energy company KazMunaiGas announced that it – along with China National Petroleum Corporation – have agreed to build a natural gas pipeline linking Beijing to natural gas reserves in the Caspian Sea. The companies will use a 50-50 operator to construct and maintain the pipeline, which will be built in two phases in […]
Read more »China: Banking on Africa
October 31st, 2007
A few interesting articles, courtesy of Bloomberg and The Financial Times, detailing two recent Chinese investments into the African banking sector, namely Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd.’s move to buy 20 percent of Standard Bank Group Ltd. (Africa’s largest bank) and China Development Bank’s partnership with United Bank for Africa, one of Nigeria’s […]
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.