For a Shared Future

Shen Jinxin

To local residents living near Ronier Oilfield in Chad， a land-locked country in central Africa， China National Petroleum Corporation （CNPC） has been a lifechanger.

“I have a stable job， a new house and a happy family with a beautiful wife and a kid in school thanks to CNPC，” one villager gushed.

With a history in Sudan and Africa dating back to the 1990s， the company has always kept the livelihood of the local people close to heart. After 2o years of efforts， its operations now cover many African countries along the Belt and Road including Sudan， Chad， Niger and Algeria among others.

Contrasting Western business competitors in Africa focused only on exploring and profiting from local oil and natural gas resources， CNPC aims to help the host countries build a complete industrial chain through investment in not only upstream resource exploration and exploitation but also pipelines and refineries downstream.

These efforts have been directed at realization of the African Unions Agenda 2063， which hopes to transform the continent into a prosperous and integrated global power with strong cultural identity. Sticking to the original aspiration， the company is investing greater efforts in the goal of building a China-Africa community with a shared future as China aligns the Belt and Road Initiative and supportive policies with similar African programs under the framework of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

Fruitful Results

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Chinas reform and opening-up， a historic policy that has brought earthshaking changes to China. As the country has marched out of a poor backward state， its demand for petroleum has increased gradually. Answering the call to “go global，” CNPC turned its eyes beyond China. So far， the CNPC has expanded its operations to 35 countries around the world， running and managing 93 oil and gas joint ventures including 50 projects in 19 countries along the Belt and Road. Africa， which holds considerable oil resources yet to be cultivated on a massive scale， has become an alluring destination for Chinese investors.

The presidential summit between China and Sudan in Beijing in autumn 1995 heralded oil cooperation between the two countries and marked the first step of CNPCs entrance into Africa. Back then， the oil industry was nascent in Sudan. After CNPC had been around for a few years， the country had established a modern oil industry featuring upstream-downstream integration， advanced technologies and a complete set of facilities covering multiple levels of processing including oil exploration， ground construction， long-distance transportation pipelines， oil refining and petrochemicals. Sudan also transformed from an oil importer to an exporter of crude oil.

CNPC continued its adventure in Chad and Niger. In some five years， the company constructed oilfields， oil pipelines and modern refineries for the countries and helped them gain energy independence with a solid modern oil industry.

These achievements didnt come easy. They took contributions from thousands of dedicated technicians sent by CNPC to the remote continent. Su Yongdi is one of them. In areas previously determined by foreign oil giants as having no value for resource exploration， Su and his team accomplished jaw-dropping miracles by establishing oilfields with modern theories and technologies.

After starting from scratch， CNPCs Africa operation continued to expand， and the company has fostered a dedicated international team and a corporate culture imbued with distinct CNPC features.

Heartfelt Contributions

CNPC seeks win-win cooperation with its African partners rather than simply access to resources. Because of this philosophy， cooperation on oil projects also serves as a bridge of friendship between Chinese and African people.

Achieving self-sufficiency in crude oil based with their own oilfields had been a dream of generations of people in Chad， Niger， Mozambique and many other African countries. Niger began reform of its oil sector as early as 50 years ago， but every attempt failed until the arrival of CNPC， which rekindled the countrys hope. No longer does Niger depend heavily on imports to meet its oil demand， and a new drilling powerhouse has emerged in the African desert.

Alongside building the oil industry， CNPC is progressively localizing its operations by hiring more local workers， among other strategies. Its Adrar upstream-downstream integrated project in southern Algeria propelled local infrastructure and key industrial construction while providing more than 800 direct jobs and 2，500 indirect jobs for local citizens. Many of the positions are at technological and managerial levels.

The company values training to improve overall abilities. In cooperation with the Chad Government， it selected outstanding local students and technicians and sent them to China for professional training. A regular technical exchange mechanism with Chads Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has also been implemented. In Niger， a master-apprentice mentoring program was introduced to improve the professional capabilities of Nigerien employees.

CNPCs sincere dedication to boosting local economic and social development and its contributions to promoting local oil industries over the years have won universal recognition from host countries. Nigerien President Mahmadou Issoufou once remarked that CNPC had fulfilled its promise to help Niger transform into an oil producer， and that during the pleasant bilateral cooperation， Nigeriens were deeply impressed by the Chinese peoples diligence.

Responsible Corporate Citizen

CNPC has also actively contributed to building a harmonious society in the host countries. Meeting its responsibilities as a corporate citizen， the company has implemented the strategy of “building a stronger Africa” to help Africans realize their dreams.

Eradicating poverty is a common aspiration in Africa. In December 2017， CNPCs branch in Chad donated 20 flour-milling machines and 20 laptops valued at US$48，000 to the Great Heart Foundation headed by the First Lady of Chad.

CNPC spared no effort to help Niger address problems exacerbating desertification and the shortage of clean water. Since 2011， the company has planted more than 100，000 saplings， 80 percent of which have survived. It also renovated school buildings， established hospitals and clinics， dug wells， donated school supplies and offered door-to-door voluntary medical treatment. It also built a communication network for locals to connect to the world through mobile phones.

While abroad， CNPC staff always treats the local environment like their own home. They showed love for every inch of the continent， from the people to the plants and animals. During pipeline construction in Chad， CNPC employees opted for costly and time-consuming manual operation over automation by excavator to avoid cutting down trees. In the process of construction， they made every effort to avoid disturbing local animals like the elephant.

During the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2018， Secretary of the Leading Party Members Group and Chairman of CNPC Wang Yilin outlined the companys five strategic goals for the near future， namely securing steady development， optimizing business structure， exploring natural gas， promoting the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and improving global operations management. Global operation has reached new levels. To achieve its strategic goals， the CNPC staff in Africa remains committed to joining hands with African partners in a China-Africa community with a shared future and enabling the Chinese Dream to fuel peoples dreams in every host country.