China’s Ministry of Land and Resources announced in a statement Tuesday that it will open onshore blocks for public tender located in the country’s northwest.

China’s new onshore acreage offer

China

BEIJING, July 7, 2015 – China’s Ministry of Land and Resources announced in a statement Tuesday that it will open onshore blocks for public tender located in the country’s northwest. These bids will be for a three-year exploration time period for six blocks in the province of Xingjiang.

The six blocks include the Buerjing in the Buerjing Basin, the Yumin in the Tacheng Basin, Gongliudi in the Yili Basin, Kepingbei and Kashqar-Shule in the Tarim Basin and Lop Nor in the Dunhuang Basin.

This move signals of reforms toward loosening the grip that the state-owned oil and gas companies China National Petroleum Corporation and Sinopec have on the country’s upstream sector

The companies that can participate in this public tender can be non-state companies but must be registered in China and have $166 million in capital. According to the government’s statement, the ministry is set to provide more information regarding the blocks from July 20 to July 22.