PipeChina, China's newly formed oil and gas pipeline behemoth whose birth was reported in these pages on 24 July of this year, has taken a concrete step in implementing its strategic vision: Southern Guangdong became the first province to transfer its natural gas pipeline network to the company, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.  PipeChina and Guangdong government officials signed a strategic alliance in Beijing that allocates to PipeChina the future investment and operation of trunk natural gas pipelines in Guangdong.

PipeChina plans to lay six new gas trunk lines in Guangdong this year totaling 751-km in length. Guangdong is China’s second-largest gas consuming province after eastern Jiangsu.