China approves foreign firms in growing sector

China approves foreign firms in growing sector¹

 BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- China will allow foreign investment in its burgeoning² shale³ gas industry, in the hope that the foreign companies' technical expertise⁴ can help extract the resource.?

Opening the market to foreign companies will help to achieve a breakthrough in shale gas exploration technology, said Yi Zhongrong, director of the production office of the Jianghan Oilfield of the China Petrochemical Corp, known as Sinopec.?

"We are trying to learn quickly about shale gas, and the technologies to tap into the resource, through our own research and development and also from foreign companies," he said.?

Foreign firms were excluded in the country's first tender in 2011.?

But in the second auction⁵ which opened on Thursday, foreign companies were allowed to apply for permits to explore and develop shale gas sites through joint⁶ ventures with Chinese companies, according to the Ministry⁷ of Land and Resources.?

Some global energy companies have shown great interest in the country's shale gas exploration sector, including France's Total SA, which has been in talks with Sinopec for a possible drilling project in East China's Anhui province.?

Industry insiders said more overseas firms will be encouraged to invest in the country's shale gas industry.?

"The trend is to introduce foreign investment into the shale gas industry. But as this is a completely new sector, authorities need time to figure out how," said Lin Zong, a researcher at the Development and Research Center of the China Geological Survey.?

Che Changbo, deputy director of the ministry's oil and gas strategic resources research center, is one of the policymakers charged with attracting foreign investment.?

"We are still exploring our options," he said.?

As authorities mull further partnership⁸ options, Shell signed the first shale gas production-sharing agreement with China National Petroleum⁹ Corp in March. ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron¹⁰ and Total have also embarked¹¹ on shale gas partnerships¹² in China. In all of the joint efforts, the Chinese side controls the joint venture.?

1 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。

2 burgeoning   

adj.迅速成长的，迅速发展的v.发芽，抽枝( burgeon的现在分词 )；迅速发展；发（芽），抽（枝）

参考例句：

• Our company's business is burgeoning now. 我们公司的业务现在发展很迅速。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These efforts were insufficient to contain the burgeoning crisis. 这些努力不足以抑制迅速扩散的危机。 来自辞典例句

3 shale   

n.页岩，泥板岩

参考例句：

• We can extract oil from shale.我们可以从页岩中提取石油。
• Most of the rock in this mountain is shale.这座山上大部分的岩石都是页岩。

4 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

5 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

6 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。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

9 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。

10 chevron   

n.V形臂章；V形图案

参考例句：

• He wore shoulderstrap rank slides with sergeant's chevrons.他佩戴标示级别的肩章，上面有中士的V形标志。
• The chevron or arrow road sign indicates a sharp bend to the left or right.V形或箭头路标表示有向左或向右的急转弯。

11 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

12 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句