Research on the Influence of Foreign Independent Directors in Corporate Governance—Taking PetroChina Company Limited as an Example

为规范上市公司治理，保护中小股东权益，中国证券监督管理委员会发布了《上市公司独立董事管理办法》。鉴于外籍独立董事与本土独立董事在独立性保障、国际化背景优势、声誉机制作用以及专业能力贡献等方面展现出的独特优势与差异，本文以中国石油天然气股份有限公司(简称“中石油”)为实例，详细剖析了其引入外籍独立董事的初衷与考量。此外，本文还分析了外籍独立董事在履职过程中可能遭遇的局限性及外界质疑。通过这一案例研究，本文为其他寻求通过引入外籍独立董事来优化治理结构的上市公司提供了宝贵的经验与启示，也为学术界和业界进一步探索独立董事制度对企业长期发展的深远影响奠定了坚实基础。In order to standardize the governance of listed companies and protect the rights and interests of small and medium-sized shareholders, the China Securities Regulatory Commission issued the Measures for the Administration of Independent Directors of Listed Companies. In view of the unique advantages and differences between foreign independent directors and local independent directors in terms of independence guarantee, international background advantages, reputation mechanism role and professional ability contribution, this article takes PetroChina Company Limited (referred to as “PetroChina”) as an example and analyzes the original intention and consideration of introducing a foreign independent director in detail. In addition, this article also analyzes the limitations and questions that foreign independent directors may encounter in the process of performing their duties. Through this case study, this article provides valuable experience and inspiration for other listed companies seeking to optimize the governance structure by introducing foreign independent directors, and also lays a solid foundation for the academic community and the industry to further explore the far-reaching impact of the independent director system on the long-term development of enterprises.