LONDON (dpa-AFX) - The race to succeed BASF CEO Martin Brudermüller could be decided internally, according to a press report. Markus Kamieth is ahead as the chemical group's China boss, the Financial Times ("FT") reported Thursday, referring to informed people.

According to the report, Kamieth is also the favorite for Brudermüller, who is moving to Mercedes-Benz in May, to fill the vacant chief executive position. BASF declined to comment when asked by the newspaper, referring to the supervisory board's decision-making authority for filling the top position.

Kamieth is entrusted with a not entirely uncritical matter: the construction of a petrochemical plant in Zhanjiang, China, for ten billion euros is the focus of attention in view of the tensions between China and Taiwan. The German government only recently warned against excessive dependence on China. The plan, announced in 2018, is considered BASF's largest investment and is modeled on its home plant in Ludwigshafen, where the Dax company is gradually cutting jobs and capacity.

Before Kamieth, Saori Dubourg was considered a great favorite, according to the FT. He was head of BASF's European business, but surprisingly left the group in February. According to the report, he was a proponent of a more low-key approach to China. Following Dubourg's departure, voices were raised that BASF should also look externally for a new chief executive. This, in turn, is said to be opposed by Supervisory Board Chairman Kurt Bock./lew/tav/jha/