"If we have the possibility, we would be interested in cooperating with Statoil on the Norwegian continental shelf and the Barents Sea," CNPC assistant president Wang Dongjin told DN.

"We already have a good co-operation with the company."

Political relations between China and Norway have poor since the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2010 peace prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, a move China called interference in its domestic politics.

In the latest spat between the two nations, China refused a visa to former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, who was to speak at a conference.

Still, business ties have suffered only moderately and oil minister Ola Borten Moe said Chinese firms were welcome.

"They are welcome like everyone else," Borten Moe said. "We want diversity on the Norwegian continental shelf, though they must of course prequalify and like everyone else submit a good proposal."

Statoil already works with several major Chinese firms, including CNPC and Sinochem.

Norwegian imports from China rose 8.9 percent in the first five months of the year while exports, representing less than 4 percent of Norway's total exports, were down 15.5 percent.