Agreements on 25 major projects worth 165.6 billion yuan ($23.87 billion) are signed at the second International Petroleum and Natural Gas Enterprises Conference in Zhoushan, in Zhejiang province, on Oct 18, 2018. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhoushan in Zhejiang province entered the 100-day countdown for the big annual event in the city - the third International Petroleum and Natural Gas Enterprises Conference - on July 8. 

To be staged by the provincial government from Oct 17 to 19, the conference will feature a host of activities focusing on the oil and gas industrial chain in the China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone, including the opening ceremony, keynote speeches, forums and project signing ceremonies.

The organizing committee announced the first batch of 177 companies to be invited to the conference, covering petroleum producers, oil traders, as well as shipping, finance, maritime services and consulting firms from across the world.

More than 50 companies have confirmed their participation and another 50 ones have expressed their willingness to attend, including global oil giants ExxonMobil, BP and Total, organizers said.

The conference has gained increasing global influence in recent years, with 45 big projects worth a total of 223 billion yuan ($32.4 billion) signed in the previous two conferences, involving oil and gas warehousing and transportation and oil refining, among other things.

Aoshan Island in Zhoushan, which houses many oil storage tanks, is currently China's largest commercial oil transshipping center. [Photo/IC]