SKK Migas welcomes new head of PetroChina

By Godang Sitompul

Upstream authority SKK Migas has welcomed the appointment of the new head of PetroChina?s operation in Indonesia.

?We welcome the replacement of Wei Zhigang with Xuelin Qing. We refused to extend the contract work of Wei Zhigang,? SKK Migas? Spokesman Elan Biantoro told Petromindo.com on Thursday.

He said PetroChina appointed Xuelin Qing as the new leader of its Indonesian operation in September this year.

The Jakarta Post, quoting sources, earlier said Wei Zhigang was removed from his post as general manager of PetroChina?s operations Indonesia amid a corruption investigation into the executive. The news agency said the Chinese government is investigating him, just weeks after Chinese authorities announced a corruption investigation into other former executives at the state oil giant.

PetroChina and its parent firm, China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), are at the centre of one of the biggest corruption investigations into the Chinese state sector in years. Until now, no executives from PetroChina's foreign operations have been implicated, the news agency reported.

Editing by Johannes Simbolon