| This thesis will make a forecast of the future growth of Chinese investment in the US shale gas industry in the short term (within the next 5 years) and in the long term (in more than 10 years). The thesis's purpose is to study the purpose, trend as well as the impact on China itself in China's recent asset acquisition activities in the US shale gas. Following an introduction to the shale gas development in the US and China, this thesis will make a forecast with the methodology including extrapolation, qualitative analysis, political risk analysis and scenario analysis. The conclusion drawn from the analysis is: in the short term, more Chinese joint ventures will be set up between large Chinese oil and gas companies and small to medium sized US shale gas explorers, with a preference for tight oil and wet gas; in the long run, due to its transitioning nature, the joint venture investment will discontinue, and the Chinese companies' activities in acquiring US shale gas companies will greatly depend on the US government's policy and natural gas price. |
