I saw that when the article first came out. I never thought of...

I saw that when the article first came out. I never thought of the subject of compensation in terms of avoiding reputational damage or just paying money to get rid of the litigants. I never gave it much thought because Congo and Cameroon don't have the money even if they really wanted to pay compo. LOL

IMO, if compensation is paid it's only because Congo and Cameroon have serious doubts about the legality of the expropriation and not only will they become international pariahs for overseas investments but they may have to surrender the licenses back to those companies after 4 years of arbitration.

My biggest concern (hence the Clifford Chance shenanigans just now is unsettling) had always been what the Chinese partners think. The MSM shit storm could be bigger than Xinjiang once China comes to the fore.

I know nothing about international law but imagine a builder building a super luxury mansion on a piece of land that is the subject of high profile bitter dispute involving multiple litigants. If I were the builder I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole with no clarity of ownership.

Evidently, China must be very confident of Congo and Cameroon legal positions and has rolled the dice that the arbitration will be a winner.

Bring it on !