When a little-known private Chinese company said in September 2017 that it would be buying 14 percent in Rosneft, many analysts were wondering how an obscure fuel trading company rose to such prominence as to become a major global M&A player to the point of agreeing to pay as much as US$9 billion for the stake in Russia’s oil giant. Six months later, the mystery surrounding CEFC China Energy is not only left unsolved—it has become even more unclear, with a flurry of media reports over the past week revealing that its CEO is under investigation by the Chinese authorities and that the Chinese state has taken over management of the company as it seeks to rein in private businesses and their unrestrained spending. With all the negative news surrounding CEFC China Energy over the past week, analysts are now wondering if the company has fallen out of favor […]