On July 27th, 2026, Jin Xiaojian, former Chairman of CNOOC’s Marine Petroleum Engineering, and Wang Mingyang, Vice President, were investigated on the same day. CNOOC is the place where former Chinese Communist Party Standing Committee member, Zeng Qinghong, started his career. Over the past two years, nearly 20 high-ranking executives from CNOOC have been investigated, including former Chairman Wang Yilin, former CEO Li Yong, and former Vice President Yuan Guangyu.
According to the announcement from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission of the Communist Party of China on July 27th, 2026, Jin Xiaojian, former Party Secretary and Chairman of Marine Petroleum Engineering, and Wang Mingyang, former Deputy Party Secretary and Vice President, are suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and are under investigation.
Jin Xiaojian, born in 1959, joined the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) system in 1982. He has held various positions including Chief Engineer and General Manager of CNOOC Oilfield Services Company, Vice President and Executive Vice President of CNOOC Field Services Co., Ltd., General Manager of CNOOC Engineering & Construction Department, General Manager of CNOOC Planning Department, among others. Since January 2017, he served as the President of Marine Petroleum Engineering Co., Ltd.; in March 2017, he became the Party Secretary of Marine Petroleum Engineering Co., Ltd., and in March 2018, he was appointed as the Chairman until his retirement in May 2019.
Wang Mingyang, born in 1956, a senior economist, graduated from Shanghai Textile Industry Institute (now China Textile University) with a bachelor’s degree in textile science. He has held positions such as General Manager of China Technology Import & Export Corporation Technico Europe-Asia Import & Export Co., Deputy General Manager of China Technology Import & Export Corporation Technico Trade Co., Deputy General Manager of China Chemical Construction Corporation, General Manager of China National Chemical Construction International Engineering Co., Ltd., among others. He was appointed as Vice President of Marine Petroleum Engineering Co., Ltd. in August 2008 until his departure in April 2013.
Marine Petroleum Engineering Co., Ltd. is a listed company controlled by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), specializing in offshore oil and gas development engineering design, procurement, construction, offshore installation, commissioning, maintenance, as well as liquefied natural gas, offshore wind power, refining, and petrochemical engineering. It is one of the largest and strongest marine oil and gas engineering contractors in the Asia-Pacific region, listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in February 2002.
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), established on February 15, 1982, is a super-large state-owned enterprise approved by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, and it is the largest offshore oil and gas operator in China, often referred to along with PetroChina and Sinopec as the “Three Oil Giants.”
CNOOC has been under scrutiny as the breeding ground for Zeng Qinghong, former Politburo Standing Committee member and the right-hand man of former Chinese Communist Party leader, Jiang Zemin. Zeng Qinghong started his career as the personal secretary to Yu Qiuli, Director of the State Planning Commission of China in 1979. Yu Qiuli, an associate of Zeng Qinghong from his hometown in Jiangxi and a former general in charge of the oil industry, served as the Director of the National Energy Commission when it was established in 1980. Zeng Qinghong later held various positions within CNOOC, consolidating his influence in China’s oil industry, which led to him being known as the leader of the “oil clique.”
After the downfall of Zhou Yongkang in 2013, a massive cleansing of the oil sector took place. Since 2024, there has been a new round of investigations targeting the “oil clique.” Several high-ranking officials from CNOOC have been investigated, including Wang Yilin, former Chairman, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison in May 2025; and Li Yong, former CEO, who was sentenced to 14 years in August 2025.
Other CNOOC executives who have been investigated since 2024 include:
– Fang Zhi, former Executive Vice President (April 2024)
– Chen Ming, former Deputy Leader of the Coordination Working Group in the Bohai Region of CNOOC Tianjin Branch (April 2024)
– Qi Meisheng, former Deputy Chief Economist (May 2024)
– Yue Jianghe, former General Manager of China Oil International Limited, Mexico Branch (May 2024)
– Zhou Songmin, former Party Secretary and General Manager of Zhanjiang Branch of CNOOC Oilfield Services Co., Ltd. (May 2024)
– Yu Guimin, former Member of Party Committee, Deputy General Manager, and Chief Engineer of CNOOC Tianjin Branch (July 2024)
– Deng Jianming, former Deputy General Manager of the Engineering Technology Department of CNOOC (July 2024)
– Zi Shilong, former Deputy General Manager of Legal and Foreign Affairs Department of CNOOC (July 2024)
– Cao Shujie, former Specialist External Director of CNOOC Group Office (July 2024)
– Tang Daizhi, former Deputy Chief Economist and General Manager of Human Resources Department and Party Organization Department of CNOOC (December 2024)
– Dong Xingliang, former Director of Drilling and Completion Office of CNOOC (December 2024)
– Dong Xiaoli, former Assistant General Manager of CNOOC Group, Party Secretary, and General Manager of CNOOC Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (July 2025)
– Zhao Huaigang, former Member of Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of Materials and Procurement Center of CNOOC (July 2025)
– Li Zhong, Deputy General Manager and Chief Engineer of Research Institute of CNOOC (November 2025)
On the day when Jin Xiaojian and Wang Mingyang, former Chairman and Vice President of Marine Petroleum Engineering, fell from power on July 27th, 2026, Jin Zhigang, former Party Secretary of the Coal Business Division of the National Energy Group, was also investigated.
According to records, Jin Zhigang had worked at Shenhua Group for many years and subsequently held positions such as Vice General Manager, Member of Party Committee, and Chairman of the Sales Group of the National Energy Group, as well as Party Secretary and Chairman of the Coal Business Division of the National Energy Group.
According to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, from June 2026 until now, more than ten senior executives from the energy sector have been investigated, including:
– Liu Xianyou, Deputy General Manager of Chemical Division of Zhongtian Hechuang Energy Co., Ltd. (July, 24 2026)
– Lu Jiancheng, Deputy General Manager of Zhanjiang Dongxing Petrochemical Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Sinopec (July 13, 2026)
– Wang Xiang, former Deputy Supervisor of Guodian Fuel Co., Ltd. (July 2, 2026)
– Deng Mingbo, Deputy General Manager of Refining and Sales Company of Sinopec (June 30, 2026)
– Hao Jing, Deputy Party Secretary of Hebei Sales Branch of Sinopec (June 27, 2026)
– Liang Jian, former Member of Party Committee of State Grid Jiangxi Power Co., Ltd. (June 23, 2026)
– Fu Dong, former Party Organization Management Official of China Datang Corporation (June 21, 2026)
– Bai Xiansuo, former Deputy General Manager of Datang Henan Power Generation Co., Ltd. (June 15, 2026)
– He Zhonghui, former Party Secretary of Dadu River Company of the National Energy Group (June 11, 2026)
– Fan Shihong, Deputy Director of Materials Procurement Center of Sinopec (June 5, 2026)
– Lu Haiwei, former Party Secretary of State Grid Heilongjiang Power Co., Ltd. (June 5, 2026)
– Liu Hongrong, former Chairman of Guangxi Company of the National Energy Group (June 1, 2026).