Those who keep an eye on China’s onshore oil and gas scene have grown accustomed to routine announcements about large-scale discoveries with huge reserves.

But the multiple discoveries are largely meaningless as long as the country continues to struggle with the technical skills needed to produce hard-to-lift hydrocarbons.

An official with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), tasked with registering hydrocarbon reserves booked by national oil companies, says that based on the reserve calculation methodology, over the past 10 years China has discovered 23 oilfields each with at least 100 million tonnes (735 barrels) of crude reserves and 28 gas fields with a minimum of 100 Bcm in reserves each.