Energy Strategy Reviews (May 2021)
Sinews of politics: State Grid Corporation, investment coalitions, and embeddedness in the Philippines
Abstract
China's overseas energy projects have expanded significantly in the last decade . While there is considerable literature on C energy-related construction contracts and ownership of power generation projects, China's power grid investments have been underexamined. Power grid investments can arguably be more contentious not only due to the vexing security context that surrounds Chinese investments in strategic sectors, but also because of the geographic coverage of such projects, which cut across provinces in host countries . This paper examines the State Grid Corporation of China's (SGCC) investment during Philippine President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo's (2000–2010) administration, a strategic case to examine the completion or cancellation of Chinese investments in strategic sectors. This paper finds that the SGCC built an investment coalition with major Philippine economic elites in order to protect its investments from opposition politicians. Philippine economic elites or oligarchs hold considerable structural and instrumental powers, and thus exercise significant influence over political elites. In contrast, Chinese state-owned enterprises and private firms who worked with Philippine politicians - Arroyo herself, her administration, and mayors - experienced significant elite mobilization. These findings demonstrate that local gatekeepers and deeply embedded social relations are essential, contributing to the debates on the internationalization of Chinese capital in the world.
