A senior offshore engineer long associated with China’s deepwater push in the South China Sea is under investigation by the country’s top anti-corruption authorities.
According to an announcement dated 27 November 2025, Li Zhong, deputy general manager and chief engineer (drilling and completion) at CNOOC Research Institute Co., Ltd., is suspected of “serious violations of discipline and law”. He is now subject to a disciplinary review by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission team stationed at China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), and a parallel supervisory investigation by the Dezhou Municipal Supervisory Commission in Shandong province.
The brief notice did not provide details of the suspected offences and did not indicate whether the case is linked to any particular project or transaction. It confirmed only Li’s current corporate role and the involvement of both the central inspection team and the local supervisory body.
Li has been widely portrayed in Chinese state and industry media as one of the key technical figures behind the country’s offshore drilling advances. Profiles published this year highlighted his responsibilities at the Beijing-based CNOOC Research Institute, where he has overseen drilling and completion technology development for complex offshore wells.
In February, he was quoted discussing record offshore drilling activity after China’s offshore well count exceeded 1,000 in 2024. He pointed to improvements in drilling efficiency, higher operating uptime and reduced downtime, supported by wider deployment of advanced drilling and completion technologies across domestic projects.
Li has also been closely associated with Deep Sea No. 1, China’s first independently developed ultra-deepwater gas field in the South China Sea. Reports stated that his team at CNOOC developed a dedicated drilling and completion design system for 1,500-m-class deepwater fields, addressing high-temperature, high-pressure conditions as well as sand-control and wellbore integrity challenges at the project.
Deep Sea No. 1 has now delivered more than 10 billion cubic metres of cumulative gas output and has maintained annual production above 3.0 billion cubic metres for three consecutive years. The same coverage credited Li and his colleagues with providing the technical foundation for its development.
International trade press have described Li as a veteran offshore engineer who played a central role in China’s major deepwater exploration breakthroughs in the South China Sea.
As of publication, neither CNOOC nor the authorities had released further information on the investigation, any disciplinary measures, or potential implications for ongoing offshore projects involving the research institute.
