Shell's China Moves

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Stanley Reed and Dexter Roberts, Shell's China Moves; The Anglo-Dutch energy giant and state-owned PetroChina have teamed up to get gas out of the ground in China—and to tap new sources of energy worldwide. Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Nov 18, 2011.
http://www.businessweek.com/maga ... channel_top+stories

Quote:

"PetroChina wants Shell’s expertise to unlock the unconventional gas and oil resources, such as shale gas, that require new techniques to extract. Shell wants PetroChina’s help in gaining access to the mainland, China’s newly hot gas fields, and its energy-hungry consumers. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said in April that Chinese shale may hold 1,275 trillion cubic feet of gas, 12 times the country’s conventional natural gas. The “technically recoverable” reserves are almost 50 percent greater than the 862 trillion cubic feet estimated for the U.S., the EIA also said.

"China is expected to account for almost half the world’s growth in oil consumption in the next two decades, becoming the largest market for oil

"CEOs of Chinese state companies are political animals whose decisions aren’t driven strictly by profit motive. 'These are talented, tenacious people that should not be underestimated—but at the end of the day they are still government functionaries,”' says Jeff Layman, a partner at law firm Baker Botts in Beijing. 'They may be looking at their futures beyond the companies they are managing.'

"The big question is: Can Shell keep riding this tiger? What prevents PetroChina’s parent, CNPC, from exploiting the Western producer for what it wants and then tossing it aside or perhaps even taking it over? * * * 'Even though Shell has been clever in leveraging its position, you can’t ignore the fact: You are now partnered up with the guy who doesn’t want to be partnered with you long-term,' says a former executive. 'CNPC is not in this to be a partner with Shell. They want to be Shell. They want to replace you.' That’s the thing about the energy game in China: Sooner or later, someone has to lose.

Note:
(a) Yulin 陕西省 榆林市
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A6%86%E6%9E%97%E5%B8%82
(b) For Ordos Basin 鄂尔多斯 盆地, see Ordos Loop  河套
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordos_Loop

(i) Ordos Desert
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordos_Desert
(The Ordos Desert is almost completely encircled by the Great Bend of the Yellow River (Ordos Loop) in the west, north, and east)
(ii) Ordos City
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordos_City
("'Ordos' means 'palaces' in the Mongolian language")
(c) The article mentions "Royal Dutch Shell, the second-largest Western oil company." Naturally the largest is Exxon Mobile.
(d) Changbei gas field  长北 气田
(e) commissary (n; Latin commissus, past participle of committere):
"2a store for equipment and provisions; especially : a supermarket for military personnel
* * *
c : a lunchroom especially in a motion-picture studio"
www.m-w.com
(f) rib (vt; probably from rib; from the tickling of the ribs to cause laughter): "to poke fun at : KID"  
(g) overall
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overall
(section 6 Boilersuit
(h) per diem (n):
"1: a daily allowance
2: a daily fee"
(i) Iron Man Wang Jinxi Memorial Hall  铁人王进喜纪念馆
(j) JIANG Jiemin  蒋 洁敏