The number of offshore projects under study in China has been increasing exponentially, and the upward momentum in the offshore sector is set to remain as projects are moving rapidly into the final investment decision stage.

Through its upcoming China Offshore Engineering Symposium (COES), event organizer Business Media China (BMC) will bring together C-level executives, senior government officials, heads of offshore and services companies and prominent analysts to discuss the high-growth offshore sector. Themed "Cashing in on New Tides with Drillships and FLNG Fabrication", the event will also see extensive media coverage.

The luxurious Westin Beijing Chaoyang will serve as the venue for the Nov. 14-15 summit, where delegates will get to hear expert presentations that focus on hot topics such as the global demand for rigs, the rig requirements by Chinese standard, the capacity of Chinese shipyards and the level of project financing the industry requires.

A noteworthy feature of the event is the power-packed line-up of presentations on the first day of the symposium which feature speeches by senior Chinese government officials. The symposium kicks off with a speech by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Equipment Industry Department's Deputy Director Li Dong. He will be speaking on the Chinese government's initiatives to develop China's offshore engineering manufacturing industry. Following that, the National Energy Administration's Deputy Director Hu Weiping will be speaking on the government's policies in place to promote the development of the deepwater industry.

Delegates will also get an opportunity to hear an opinion speech from the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Academician Zhou Shouwei – China National Offshore Oil Corporation's former Vice President – will be speaking on processes that govern deepwater projects. He will draw on his wealth of project experiences to share with participating delegates on the optimum course for one to take when developing a deepwater project.

The event will actively encourage questions from the floor and delegates will enjoy ample opportunities for one-on-one meetings with key decision makers to discuss avenues for investment opportunities and strategic cooperation. Senior executives from the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation and Douglas Westwood will provide independent insights on the development of the Chinese offshore market.

The China Natural Gas Summit 2012 (CNGS 2012) will be running concurrently with COES. The gas summit presents insights into the latest natural gas developments in China, and addresses topical issues such as incentives to spur shale gas and coalbed methane development and the evolution of natural gas spot trading.

The symposium is already more than 85 percent sold out, so COES encourages interested parties to sign up now to ensure their seats at this not-to-be-missed event.