ADNOC Delegation Visits Xiamen Sinolook Oil in China

In December 2019, a senior delegation from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) visited Xiamen Sinolook Oil Co., Ltd in Xiamen, China. The two companies met to explore a closer, exclusive partnership in the Chinese base oil market — a conversation that would help set the stage for the exclusive ADbase distribution agreement signed the following year.

The visit underlined ADNOC’s confidence in China as a strategic long-term market for premium base oils, and in Sinolook as a trusted local partner with the distribution reach to match.

A visit focused on China’s long-term growth potential

The meeting took place against a challenging backdrop for the global automotive industry. Vehicle sales had slowed in many major markets through 2019, and China faced similar pressure — driven in part by the withdrawal of preferential purchase-tax incentives from 2018, softer macroeconomic growth, US–China trade tensions and more cautious consumer sentiment.

Even so, China remained comfortably the largest automotive market in the world, and both companies saw substantial room for further growth. At the time, World Bank data indicated China had roughly 173 vehicles per 1,000 people — around 17th among major economies — pointing to significant long-term upside in vehicle ownership, and with it, sustained demand for high-quality lubricants and the base oils that go into them.

The ADNOC delegation

The visiting delegation was led by three senior representatives from ADNOC’s Base Oil & Special Products organisation:

Building toward an exclusive partnership

The visit reflected the growing alignment between ADNOC’s world-class Group III base oil (ADbase) and Sinolook’s established distribution network across China. In 2020, the two companies formalised this relationship, with Sinolook becoming the exclusive distributor of ADNOC Group III base oil (ADbase) in China — a position it continues to hold today.

Looking back, the 2019 delegation marked an important milestone in a partnership that has since made Sinolook one of the leading base oil suppliers in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

To learn more about ADNOC ADbase Group III base oil supply from Sinolook, explore our Base Oil range.