CNPC returns to Niger! A new agreement takes effect—expelled last year, now welcomed back! On May 18, CNPC and the Niger government formally signed a brand-new oil cooperation agreement at the office of the Prime Minister in Niger. China will fully resume operations of local oilfields, refineries, and pipelines, and will also increase investment to expand production capacity. The bilateral cooperation is now back on track with renewed momentum.
In simple terms, that’s what happened—but what exactly does “full resumption” and “back on fast track” mean? On March 13, 2025, the Niger military government suddenly took drastic action: it ordered Chinese executives from three companies, including CNPC, to leave the country within 48 hours; sealed refinery bank accounts, froze funds, and unilaterally demanded that crude oil profit sharing be raised from 15% to 30%.
Then, on May 23, 2025, the move escalated further: all Chinese staff were ordered to completely evacuate by May 31, effectively kicking CNPC out of the project entirely.
Why the sudden reversal? The root cause lies in March 2024, when Niger borrowed $400 million from CNPC as an advance payment for crude oil. When the loan matured in March 2025, Niger had no money to repay. Instead, it attempted to cancel the debt by expelling Chinese personnel and renegotiating the contract to extract more revenue. But they didn’t anticipate that once the Chinese technical team left, oilfields shut down, refineries collapsed, domestic fuel prices skyrocketed, and Niger lacked the capability to maintain this entire oil supply chain. The economy suffered severe damage. After over a year of struggling, Niger finally realized the truth: without technology and capital, even abundant oil resources are useless. So, it proactively reached out again. On May 18, 2026, both sides re-signed the agreement—allowing CNPC to return to lead operations, while making compromises on profit sharing and debt terms. China agreed to additional investments to boost production, and the two sides have now reconciled.
From a firm expulsion in March 2024 to a desperate plea for reconciliation in May 2026, after more than a year of turmoil, Niger gained nothing but hard lessons. In the end, they realized that mutual benefit and win-win cooperation remain the only real solution. People don’t learn from words—they learn from experience. Facts prove that even the most powerful resource-rich nations cannot succeed without technology and capital. Cooperation must follow rules, and mutual benefit is the only path to long-term success—a lesson that couldn’t be more practical.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865699193553952/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.