China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) is a Chinese state-owned energy company focused on offshore oil and natural gas exploration and production. Established in 1982 and headquartered in Beijing, it is one of China’s three national oil companies. Through its listed subsidiary CNOOC Limited, the group operates in China’s Bohai Bay, South China Sea, and East China Sea, and holds interests in international upstream assets across Asia–Pacific, Africa, and the Americas. CNOOC is a major participant in China’s natural gas and LNG supply, operating import and regasification terminals and holding upstream LNG interests.
Downstream, CNOOC invests in refining and petrochemicals, notably the Huizhou refining and petrochemical base in Guangdong and joint-venture complexes that include large ethylene crackers and derivative units. Its petrochemical portfolio covers core building blocks and polymers such as ethylene, propylene, polyethylene, and polypropylene, supporting coastal chemical and manufacturing clusters with feedstocks and fuels. The group also pursues selected low-carbon and offshore wind projects as part of China’s broader energy transition policies.