ABSTRACT
China's new push toward offshore development has excited particular interest in Western circles. The geologic picture for offshore China is even more problematic than that for onshore basins, and about the only certainty is that neither foreigners nor the Chinese have yet acquired sufficient data to make reliable resource estimates. The gulf contains China's two main oil ports and is near several major Chinese industrial areas. The Chinese also had three seismic survey crews in the gulf in 1975 and 1976, two equipped with native technology and the third with an imported navigation system and associated equipment. The emerging picture is one of the Chinese managing the entire enterprise alone and accepting the consequence of slower paced development. Chinese decision to opt for the service contracts or other joint arrangements with major oil companies could accelerate the entire development process.
