印度、中国竞标海外石油资产

India, China Compete for Overseas Oil Assets

印度、中国竞标海外石油资产

 

India's biggest state-run oil firm recently lost out to a Chinese company in a bid to acquire PetroKazakhstan -- a Canadian oil company with substantial reserves in Central Asia. The deal underlined the growing competition between the two populous¹ and rapidly growing Asian countries for oil and gas assets in other countries.

 

India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation had reportedly put in the highest bid for PetroKazakhstan in the first round. But the deal swung in favor of China's National Petroleum² Corporation, when it improved its offer to nearly $4.2 billion.

 

Disappointed officials from the Indian oil company say their bankers are assessing their options to see if they will be allowed to revise their bid.

 

The fierce competition for PetroKazakhstan underlines the urgency with which the two Asian giants, India and China, are trying to secure energy supplies in other countries. The two need oil and other resources in ever-increasing amounts as their economies and populations surge.

 

Sukh Deo Muni, co-author of the recently-published book India's Energy Security, says Chinese companies have the upper hand because they can clinch³ a deal at any cost, whereas India's public sector⁴ firms are bound by rules to show a reasonable rate of return on investment. He says China is also freer to offer developing countries aid.

 

Sukh Deo Muni: China certainly has a much larger scope to maneuver⁵ itself into the market. Even in terms of granting financial assistance and developmental help, China has a greater flexibility⁶ because they are not governed by the kind of financial rules and democratic accountability which India has to undergo.

 

Recently however there have been calls for the two countries to cooperate rather than compete in their search for new energy assets.

 

After losing the PetroKazakhstan bid, India's oil minister, Mani Shankar Aiyer, said China and India needed to adopt a "collaborative approach" to prevent acquisition costs from climbing higher. He says he will visit Beijing in November to discuss the two countries mounting joint⁷ bids.

 

There have already been some signs of such cooperation. In Sudan, India and China have invested in the same hydrocarbon⁸ exploration fields, with the Indians holding a smaller stake than the Chinese.

 

However, Mr. Muni feels that the prospects⁹ for such cooperation are limited.

 

Sukh Deo Muni: Collaboration¹⁰ cannot be a full answer because China is much ahead of India, and any country would like to have an independent access to energy, and, if China has a better control on energy in Asia, that gives China better influence on Asian affairs.

 

India imports 70 percent of its crude oil needs, and is looking at larger requirements as its economy grows at about seven percent a year.

 

Anjana Pasricha, VOA news, New Delhi.

 

注释：

substantial [sEb5stAnFEl] adj. 丰富的

bid [bid] n. 出价，投标

clinch [klintF] vt. 达成买卖或合同

scope [skEup] n. 范围，余地

maneuver [mE5nu:vE] v. 机动，调整

acquisition cost 购置成本

hydrocarbon [5haidrEu5kB:bEn] n. 烃，碳氢化合物

stake [steik] n. 投资

1 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。

2 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

3 clinch   

v.敲弯，钉牢；确定；扭住对方 [参]clench

参考例句：

• Clinch the boards together.用钉子把木板钉牢在一起。
• We don't accept us dollars,please Swiss francs to clinch a deal business.我方不收美元，请最好用瑞士法郎来成交生意。

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 maneuver   

n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略

参考例句：

• All the fighters landed safely on the airport after the military maneuver.在军事演习后，所有战斗机都安全降落在机场上。
• I did get her attention with this maneuver.我用这个策略确实引起了她的注意。

6 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 hydrocarbon   

n.烃，碳氢化合物

参考例句：

• During incomplete combustion some of the hydrocarbon fuel is cracked.在不完全的燃烧中，一些烃燃料裂解。
• The hydrocarbon must be an alkene.这个碳氢化合物必定是烯烃。

9 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

10 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。