China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. engages in the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. It operates through the following segments: Exploration and Production; Refining; Marketing and Distribution; Chemicals; and Corporate and Others. The Exploration and Production segment consists of activities related to exploring for and developing, producing, and selling crude oil and natural gas. The Refining segment purchases crude oil from its exploration and production segment and from third parties, processing of crude oil into refined oil products, and selling refined oil products principally to its marketing and distribution segment. The Marketing and Distribution segment includes refined oil products from its refining segment and third parties, and marketing, selling and distributing refined oil products by wholesale to large customers and independent distributors, and retail through its retail network. The Chemicals segment focuses on chemical feedstock principally from the refining segment and producing, marketing, selling, and distributing chemical product. The Corporate and Others segment comprises of trading activities of the import and export subsidiaries, and its research and development activities. The company was founded on February 25, 2000 and is headquartered in Beijing, China.