Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Even in the absence of Northern support, Ecuadorian protestors
seized the facilities of Chinese-owned Andes Petroleum in 2006, taking
more than forty workers hostage, and temporarily shutting down pro-
duction in their ongoing demands for employment and social services
from the state and oil industry (“Ministries Concerned by Embassy
Robbery” 2006; “Chinese Oil Co Faces Resident Protests” 2006; Kerr
2006; Weitzman 2006).
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These diverse examples are presented here to
indicate that until social and environmental demands are met, oil entities,
including Chinese SOEs, can expect prolonged tension surrounding their
operations in Latin America.
In contrast, direct demonstrations against environmental injustices
may be less customary in parts of Africa and Asia where violations may
be even greater. In Southeast Asia, for example, demonstrations against
the Chinese-fi nanced Arakan-Yunnan Gas Pipeline from Burma to China
were held in four Southeast Asian capitals in 2009, but not in Burma or
China.
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Citing this example is not meant to diminish its import, but to
acknowledge the challenges grassroots groups face in some countries.
Importantly, one of the most vocal organizations against Chinese oil
operations in Burma is Arakan Oil Watch, which focuses exclusively on
the Burmese state of Arakan, but is based in Thailand and is linked to
South America. Arakan Oil Watch is a member of the Oilwatch Inter-
national network, whose originating and coordinating offi ce is based in
Quito, Ecuador.
In China, the domestic role of activist-oriented NGOs is minimal,
while their role in confronting the oil industry overseas is nonexistent
for the most part. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a
New York-based environmental NGO, which opened its fi rst interna-
tional offi ce in Beijing in 2004, represents a more pointed empowerment
opportunity for budding Chinese activists than the international conser-
vation NGOs. Accordingly, Greenlaw, an online resource for communi-
ties on environmental laws in China that was launched by NRDC and
a local association, hosted an environmental forum in Beijing in 2008
that included discussions on climate change, sustainable development,
and environmental participation.
Internationally, Chinese NGOs, or GONGOs, participated in the
Regional Environmental Forum for Mainland Southeast Asia on how to
govern the Mekong in 2002 and in a joint Asian-African conference that
ran parallel to African Development Bank meetings in 2007 (Guerrero
and Manji 2008). Chinese organizations also attended the 2007 World
Social Forum in Nairobi, where Bello (2007) recorded “tense dialogue”
