China's CNPC denies talks to sell Kazakh stake
06.09.05 18:14
/REUTERS, Peking, September 6, 05/ - China National Petroleum Corp.
(CNPC) has denied it is in talks to sell as much as half of its $4.18 billion
acquisition of a strategically important oil company to Kazakhstan's state-
owned oil firm.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday the deal by CNPC to sell a 33
to 50 percent stake in PetroKazakhstan Inc., a Canadian firm with operations
in the neighbouring central Asia state, to KazMunaiGaz (KMG) was expected
to be sealed in the next few weeks.
"There are no such talks," said a spokesman for CNPC's International
Department who declined to be named. The department is responsible for
the company's foreign businesses.
The newspaper also quoted a spokesman denying that the company was
involved in negotiations to sell part of its stake.
CNPC is the state-owned parent company of Asia's top listed oil firm,
PetroChina.
It won an auction for PetroKazakhstan in August, beating a competing bid by
a joint venture between ONGC Videsh Ltd., the international arm of India's
state-controlled Oil & Natural Gas Corp., and an investment company owned
by steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal.
The losing consortium has said it is still considering making a higher counter
bid.
CNPC's acquisition of PetroKazakhstan was one of a series of deals in the
past few years in which China has sought to secure sources of crude oil by
buying foreign companies.
[2005-09-06]