In an increasingly global economy it should come as no surprise that governments and corporations are grappling for control of the world’s richest resources. Oil fields, coal mines and natural gas wells should all be considered desirable real-estate, only now it is on a global scale. With the most recent desire by China to purchase oil company Unocal, it is evident that more nations, especially those reaching rapidly for a complete industrialization, are expecting more shares of the oil pie than was expected. But, with OPEC as a global oil mediator, how much of the pie is there to truly divide?

China and the Fight for Unocal

The most recent attempt to grab a piece of the oil pie was recently made by China, whose bid to take control of the California oil company, Unocal, has inspired vigorous debate over control of the remaining shares of oil left in the world and China’s influence over United States’ oil interests. But what exactly is Unocal and why are Chevron and China fighting over it? Unocal is an independent oil company in California and possesses a great amount of oil resources in Asia.

The hysteria over China’s bid to buy Unocal unleashed a torrent of trade issues, besides the outright concern over China’s control of a United States oil company when the two countries are clearly founded on opposing ideals. Many experts suggest the proposal allows China much too much control of very serious oil resources which it is argued the country will use for its own purposes and without regard for global concerns. In the process, Chevron’s bid for Unocal was usurped, to add insult to injury.

OPEC and the Hands of Control

But do either of the oil bidders really have a shot at major global oil control? The answer is no. For the most part, the oil pie is pretty well divided into OPEC-controlled and non-OPEC controlled. In a sense the biggest share of the oil pie is already divvied up among the members of OPEC. The small piece of the pie is that such as the fight over Unocal.