China National Petroleum Corporation or CNPC (中國石油天然氣集團有限公司) is China’s largest state-owned oil and gas company. CNPC began Middle East operations around 2008-2009, entering Iraq’s petroleum market with the Ahdeb project, a major oil field development, marking the first foreign oil company in post-war Iraq. CNPC’s Middle East operations coordinate investments in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.
Dailymotion is a French video-sharing and streaming platform founded in 2005. The company operates three main divisions: a consumer video app, Dailymotion Pro for professional video hosting and broadcasting, and Dailymotion Advertising.
CMA CGM Group is a French shipping and logistics company founded in Marseille in 1978. In 2024, CMA Media completed a major expansion by acquiring French news channels BFM TV, BFM Business, and radio station RMC, extending its presence across digital, audiovisual, print, and business-to-business event platforms.
LVMH is the world’s largest multinational luxury goods conglomerate, ranking on Fortune magazine’s Global 500 list of companies, with headquarters in Paris, France. Founded in 1987 through the merger of Louis Vuitton and the beverages group Moët Hennessy, the group operates 60 independently managed subsidiary brands spanning champagne, fashion, jewelry, cosmetics, and other luxury sectors. Beyond its core luxury goods business, LVMH also owns two newspapers, including Les Échos and Le Parisien.
CMA CGM Group (Le Groupe CMA CGM) is a container shipping company founded in 1978 by Jacques R. Saadé, a Lebanese-French businessman. Headquartered in Marseille, the company operates a fleet of 620 vessels serving over 420 ports across five continents. The group’s network spans all major continents, with over 400 offices and 750 warehouses in 160 countries. The company, whose holdings include media brands such as BFM TV, established an office in Taiwan on April 1, 2002, providing regional and international shipping services.
Dassault Group, formally known as Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault, is a French defense and aerospace conglomerate and one of the country’s largest family-owned enterprises. Founded in 1929 and headquartered in Paris, the group manufactures military and business aircraft through its subsidiary Dassault Aviation, and owns the conservative newspaper Le Figaro, acquired in 2004. The name derives from founder Marcel Bloch, who changed his name to Marcel Dassault after World War II. One of Dassault Systèmes’ main products includes the Rafale and Mirage fighter aircraft series, with the Mirage 2000, which serves as one of Taiwan’s primary air-defense aircraft.
Eni S.p.A. ( Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi) is an Italian multinational energy company established on February 10, 1953. The company was founded under the leadership of Enrico Mattei, who served as its first chairman, to rebuild Italy’s energy policy and secure the country’s energy independence following World War II. Headquartered in Rome, Eni operates across oil and gas exploration and production, refining, marketing, and, increasingly, renewable energy. The Italian government maintains control through a 31.835% combined stake held by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and state-controlled Cassa Depositi e Prestiti.
Founded on October 2, 2013, Sagarmatha Technologies Limited is an investment company focused on platform technologies. It claims to deliver comprehensive technology solutions for businesses, encompassing content management systems, data infrastructure, website builders, mobile and web applications, marketing automation, merchandising software, e-commerce platforms, video tools, and related support services. The company was originally incorporated in South Africa as Virturtorque Proprietary Limited, and underwent several name changes before becoming Sagarmatha Technologies Limited in September 2017. The company is a subsidiary of the Sekunjalo Group, which holds 55 percent of South Africa’s Independent Media alongside Chinese state investment.
Sekunjalo Investment Holdings is a South African private equity firm founded in 1997 by businessman Iqbal Survé and three partners. The company was established with principles of “social justice, broad-based economic participation, and inclusion,” emphasizing what it describes as “a gentler capitalism” focused on people before profits. Sekunjalo operates across multiple sectors, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, fisheries, and media. In August 2013, the company acquired a 55% stake in Independent News & Media South Africa for approximately 150 million dollars, with funding largely provided by the government-owned Public Investment Corporation.