BEIJING, July 31 Reuters China, Niger39;s secondlargest foreign investor after former colonial power France, has in the past two decades ploughed billions of dollars into the landlocked West African nation, mainly for the exploration of oil and uranium.

Since last week39;s coup, in which military leaders detained Niger39;s President Mohamed Bazoum and established a military government, China says it is closely monitoring the situation, and urges parties in Niger to safeguard stability.

China39;s total foreign direct investment FDI into Niger stood at 2.68 billion as at the end of 2020, according to the U.S. Embassy in Niger.

Following are China39;s main investments in Niger, predominantly by state energy giant PetroChina and national nuclear firm CNNC

OIL ASSETS

Niger became an oil producer in 2011 when the Agadem oilfield, a joint venture between the government and PetroChina, started production.

PetroChina entered a production sharing agreement in 2008 with the Nigerien government to develop the field, located some 1,600km 1,000 miles east of the capital Niamey, with estimated reserves of 650 million barrels.

As part of the deal, PetroChina invested in the construction of the SORAZ refinery, located 460km away in the southern city of Zinder, near the border with Nigeria. PetroChina holds a 60 stake in the refinery, which has a capacity of 20,000 barrels per day bpd and mostly supplies the Nigerien domestic fuel market. The remaining share is held by the Nigerien…