Exploration, Development, and Production of Oil and Gas in China: Current Status, Challenges, and Strategic Directions

Abstract

As a critical component of China’s energy security framework, the oil and gas sector plays a pivotal role in balancing economic growth, industrial demand, and environmental transitions. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of China’s oil and gas exploration, development, and production (EDP) landscape, focusing on key trends, technological advancements, structural challenges, and strategic responses. Through an examination of domestic resource distribution, production dynamics, import dependencies, and innovation-driven solutions, the study highlights the sector’s evolving role in China’s energy mix. Data from authoritative sources (e.g., National Bureau of Statistics of China, CNPC, CNOOC, Sinopec, and the International Energy Agency) are integrated to assess the current state and future outlook. The findings underscore the urgency of enhancing domestic resource efficiency, accelerating technological breakthroughs, and optimizing the oil-gas transition to support China’s dual-carbon goals (carbon peak by 2030, carbon neutrality by 2060).