Uzbekistan’s state-owned oil and gas company Uzbekneftegaz is seeking to expand cooperation with China’s Sinopec in exploration, deep drilling and oil refining as the country moves to develop new hydrocarbon reserves. The talks focused on expanding geological exploration, drilling deep wells and introducing advanced technologies in oil refining. Sanginov said recent exploration work in Uzbekistan’s Ustyurt region had identified promising hydrocarbon reserves. Oil refining was another key area of the discussions, with the sides considering cooperation on introducing modern technologies to improve processing capabilities and efficiency. They agreed to continue practical work on the areas discussed, including exploration, deep drilling, oil refining and scientific and technological cooperation.