Report: China, Syria in talks on possible joint refinery project
China's state-owned oil industry heavily investing abroad in hopes of securing energy supplies to fuel its booming economy.
By The Associated PressBEIJING - Syria and China are discussing jointly building a U.S.$1 billion oil refinery in eastern Syria, state media reported Wednesday.
Syria's deputy premier for economic affairs, Abdullah al-Dardari, discussed the proposed refinery with Premier Wen Jiabao Tuesday during a visit to Beijing, the Xinhua News Agency and China Daily newspaper reported.
The China Daily quoted Syria's oil minister, Sufian Allawy, as saying a deal would be signed after a feasibility study is carried out.
China's state-owned oil industry has been investing heavily abroad in hopes of securing energy supplies to fuel its booming economy.
The refinery would have a daily capacity of 70,000 barrels of crude, according to the China Daily.
"The refinery would be financed by China's biggest state-owned oil company, the China National Petroleum Corp., and a Syrian petroleum company," Xinhua said, citing Dardari.
"Syria also wants to import Chinese technology to increase production at Syrian oil fields," Dardari said.
"Oil field cooperation is a crucial component (of cooperation) between Syria and China," Xinhua quoted Dardari as saying.
The Damascus government will invite Chinese companies to explore for oil in offshore fields totaling 5,000 square kilometers the China Daily said, citing Dardari.
CNPC and India's government-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp. agreed in December 2005 to jointly pay U.S.$580 million for a stake in a Syrian oil company.
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Hoho! A full broadside from the country which, among other nasty things, fought a war to coerce the Chinese into opening their markets to the British opium trade. You really think it is a good idea when someone from Britain relives memories of colonial atrocities?
The IDF need not worry over ill-humoured Chinese. They can hire some Hessians, or better yet Prussians, who know how to deal with Boxer rebellions. Drinking their Tsing-tao and singing their teutonic tavern songs all the while.
Avoid hitting the Chinese like they did with UN observers. Would cause some very bad humour on the Chinese part.
Consider this an expected result of a failing state of economic and political relations with China. I can think of at least another reason for this: 1) You've sold military related gear to BOTH China and Taiwan (a REALLY, REALLY BAD IDEA); and kowtowed to the US (for at least awhile, anyway) when China demanded an system upgrade. IMHO they're telling you to wise up and choose a side (theirs) or be isolated even more. You're too European/American minded.
It is unclear to me why it would be said that the US is attempting to 'conquer its way to oil in Iraq.' The US involvement in Iraq appears to have been ill-prompted, ill-conducted, and ill simplicitur, to be sure, but as the US does not seem even after four years to have so much as begun taking petroleum out of Iraq, and as the benighted administration running the US does not appear to be embarrassed about criminality, it is puzzling why it is accused of being in Iraq for reasons of petroleum.
The proposed investment is improvident for at least two reasons. The first is that fossil fuels must be phased out, and refineries and wells should be phased out as well rather than expanded. The second is that the civilised nations, India among them, are likely to give Iran's military establishments a thrashing before the year is out, and investments in Iran's lackies are apt to suffer, at least for a time, in consequence.
While the US tries to conquer it's way to Oil in Iraq, China is using diplomacy and trade to secure it's access. Guess which approach is working?
The rise of Asia means that countries are less and less dependent on the US and the West in general for economic and technological developement. A very healthy thing this is.