The partnership structure of PetroChina's (0857.HK) C$5.4 billion ($5.5 billion) purchase of Encana Corp (ECA.TO) gas assets gives it a better chance of getting Ottawa's approval than last year's failed bid for Potash Corp, regulatory experts said on Friday. Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement said the Encana deal, the richest in a string of Chinese energy acquisitions in Canada, is subject to review under the Investment Canada Act. The legislation is aimed at ensuring foreign acquisitions have a net benefit to Canada. "It's a development project which needs huge amounts of capital, so you can make a very strong argument that it makes sense for Encana to bring on a partner to deal with some of the risk it would have without a partner," said Philip Mohtadi, a lawyer at Torys LLP in Toronto who specializes in Investment Canada regulatory issues.
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