The two main companies responsible for China’s oil & gas activities are the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Sinopec. Their subsidiaries have filed registration documents in Iran, and acquired various contracts for the development of Iran’s oil & gas fields. These include SINOPEC Engineering Incorporation, Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Sinopec, Fushun Research Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemicals SINOPEC Corp, Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology Sinopec, SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing (RIPP) etc. Sinopec first entered negotiations with the Iranian government regarding Azadegan in 2016, after the cancellation of a previous contract with another Chinese oil & gas company, CNPCI. Other downstream companiesSinopec is not the only Chinese company seeking exclusive access to parts of Iran’s oil & gas business.