A security officer keeps watch outside the headquarters of China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), China's top offshore oil producer, in Beijing.[Agencies]

Cnooc Ltd is in "final discussions" on cooperating with Tullow Oil Plc to develop three blocks in Uganda, Spokesman Jiang Yongzhi said today.

The Chinese company is "happy" the Uganda government's conditional approval for Tullow's purchase of assets from Heritage Oil Plc, according to Jiang.