Chad Huffman honored with the government of China’s Friendship Award

Photo: Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai presents Chad Huffman with the 2017 Friendship Award.

by Lluvia Wu

On Sept. 30 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Chad Huffman, vice president, Capital Projects & Asset Management, ConocoPhillips China (COPC), received the Chinese government’s 2017 Friendship Award. Premier Li Keqiang and Vice Premier Ma Kai presented the award to Huffman and 49 other experts representing 21 countries.   

Launched in 1991, the award recognizes foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to China’s economic and social development and is the highest honor granted to a foreigner. While ConocoPhillips employees have previously been awarded provincial friendship awards, Huffman is the first ConocoPhillips employee to receive the national government’s award.

“We treat foreign experts as members of the China family, and we highly appreciate their efforts to develop China,” said Premier Li. “Foreign experts can play a leading role in China’s modernization and will continue to contribute to the world economic recovery and growth through technological upgrading, expanding consumption and facilitating China’s economic upgrading. We are working to improve policies around working visas and Chinese permanent resident permits, among other benefits, to make it easier for foreign experts and their family members to live in and contribute to China.”

Huffman was nominated for the award by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). CNOOC and COPC are long-term partners, having developed many large fields together throughout COPC’s 35 years in China. As deputy general manager of Pengbo Operating Company (PBOC) and COPC’s chief representative to the joint management committee, Huffman has worked with CNOOC to manage operations since the operatorship transfer to CNOOC in July 2014. Responsible for advancing and delivering multiple major projects, he was also nominated by CNOOC and won the provincial Tianjin Haihe Friendship Award in 2016 and 2017.



“I am proud, as are my company ConocoPhillips and our partner CNOOC, of our many collective achievements,” Huffman said. “I truly believe all foreign experts are guests of China, and with that understanding, each of us has a responsibility to make efforts to benefit China.”

COPC and PBOC collaborated on a project that received the 2016 Cost Control Outstanding Contribution Award from the China Offshore Oil Bohai Petroleum Administration Bureau. The Penglai Oilfield, one of China’s most productive fields, employs more than 1,000 personnel.

“Our partnership with ConocoPhillips is world-class, and we’ve achieved strong success in Penglai and elsewhere because of constructive cooperation,” said PBOC General Manager Pan Yiyong.  “We look forward to continuing our deep collaboration with ConocoPhillips and Chad Huffman.”

In line with ConocoPhillips’s core SPIRIT Values, Huffman and COPC will donate the award funds to enhancing the quality of life of local communities.