China's policy of buying oil fields abroad seemed to have secured its first success when it outbid an Indian rival and brushed away a last-minute grab by Russia's Lukoil to acquire Petrokazakhstan (PKZ), the largest and most successful independent in the Former Soviet Union. However, just how much oil China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) will get out of PKZ - for which it paid $4.18bn - and what price, remains in doubt.