On December 20, PetroChina announced that its 16th meeting of the ninth board of directors was held via on-site and video conferencing. The board reviewed and approved the proposal to elect Mr. Zhou Xinhuai as the company's vice chairman, with his term aligned with that of the ninth board.

Mr. Zhou Xinhuai, 54, currently serves as a director, general manager, and deputy party secretary of PetroChina's parent company, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). A senior engineer with a Ph.D., Zhou brings extensive experience in the petroleum industry.

His career highlights include serving as Chief Geologist of CNOOC Ltd's East China Sea Petroleum Administration (CNOOC China Ltd. Shanghai Branch) in March 2017, General Manager of CNOOC Ltd's Exploration Department in October 2019, and General Manager and Party Secretary of CNOOC China Ltd. Hainan Branch in March 2021.

In March 2022, he was appointed Vice President and Party Leadership Group Member of CNOOC Group, followed by additional roles as Director and CEO of CNOOC Ltd in April 2022. From June 2023 to November 2024, he concurrently served as President of CNOOC Ltd.

Zhou was named Director, General Manager, and Deputy Party Secretary of CNOOC Group in March 2024 before assuming his current role at CNPC in August 2025. He joined PetroChina's board in December 2025.

As of the announcement date, Zhou has no undisclosed relationships with other directors, senior executives, controlling shareholders, or major stakeholders holding over 5% of shares. He does not hold any PetroChina shares and meets all eligibility criteria for listed company directors under the Shanghai Stock Exchange's regulatory guidelines.