BEIJING - Zhou Jiping, former general manager of the China National Petroleum Corporation, has officially become the company's chairman, updated information on the CNPC website showed Tuesday.

Zhou's new role came after the company's former chairman, Jiang Jiemin, resigned last month to head the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

Zhou, 60, who has nearly 40 years of work experience in the oil industry, remains vice chairman and president of PetroChina Company Limited, the listed arm of CNPC.

His promotion will help the CNPC smoothly implement and further its current strategies, said Wang Zhen, an analyst with the research institute of energy strategy under the China University of Petroleum.

Zhou's early involvement in the CNPC's overseas businesses also make him well-suited to the job, as the company is seeking to expand its presence in the international market, Wang noted.

The CNPC aims to make the amount of oil and gas produced overseas account for 60 percent of its total output by 2020.

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