Witnessing China’s strength stepping onto the international oil and gas stage.

In the early 1990s, China transitioned from a net exporter of petroleum to a net importer. This shift had far-reaching, system‑wide implications for the development of China’s oil industry, making the exploitation and development of overseas oil and gas resources an inevitable imperative. In fact, as early as the late 1980s, Tong Xiaoguang, a leading expert in petroleum geology and exploration and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, foresaw the changing landscape and advocated that the oil and gas sector must “go global,” arguing that “China will ultimately still need the world’s energy.” What challenges and hardships did the oil industry encounter as it ventured beyond China’s borders, and what achievements and honors has it attained?

　　Tong Xiaoguang recounted to reporters the compelling story of China’s oil and gas “going global” strategy—from its nascent stages through implementation to its significant achievements.

　　The idea of “going global” is taking root.

　　In 1988, I first conceived the idea of advancing international oil exploration by “going global.” Why did I advocate this approach? At that time, the Daqing Oilfield had already maintained an annual crude‑oil output of 50 million tons for the twelfth consecutive year—since 1976, when it first surpassed the 50‑million‑ton threshold and joined the ranks of the world’s super‑large oilfields—and oil production in the Bohai Bay Basin was also at its peak. China’s domestic oil output not only sufficed to meet internal demand but also allowed for annual exports of 20 million tons. Yet, alongside the rapid economic growth of the 1980s and beyond, the country’s onshore oil and gas development saw a steadily declining reserve‑to‑production ratio, as existing reserves and current output failed to keep pace with rising demand. Consequently, China’s oil production growth increasingly lagged behind the rate of growing petroleum consumption—by 1993, China had become a net importer of oil. After comprehensive analysis, I concluded that, in the end, China would still need the world’s energy resources.

　　At the time, two overseas study tours left a particularly deep impression on me:

　　Once, in 1985, Dr. Armand Hammer, chairman of the American company Occidental Petroleum, invited us to conduct a field visit. At that time, the company had just discovered a major oilfield in Colombia. What impressed me most was that developing Colombian oilfields posed no particular difficulties, and China, too, possessed the capability to “go global” and explore and develop overseas oilfields in countries like Colombia. This was also the unanimous impression we shared during our subsequent trip to the United States; yet at the time, we still did not know how to secure access to such resources.