China could become one of the major shareholders in Transneft, the state-backed oil pipeline company in Russia, one of its directors said Friday. Transneft First Vice President Maxim Grishanin said the Russian Direct Investment Fund was in talks to attract investors to the pipeline company. “There are investors from Japan, we are waiting for Singapore and China,” he was quoted as saying by Russian news agency Tass. “RDIF is holding talks with the Chinese.” Russia has focused investment efforts toward the Asia-Pacific, which offers a buffer against a European Union frustrated with the former Soviet Union’s influence in the regional energy sector. The 2010 launch of the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline in 2010 was described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a […]