Interesting to read the argument made today that China’s overseas diplomacy has in some cases – like Sudan – been “hijacked” by state-owned companies like PetroChina, that are alleged to have become “very powerful interest groups” in their own right.
Very interesting to see who’s making it: scholars at “leading Chinese think-tanks and universities in Beijing“, speaking in multiple interviews. As Richard McGregor comments, “China’s foreign ministry has not been critical of CNPC but the comments by senior academics in Beijing suggest substantial disquiet in official circles about overseas investments.”
