PetroChina Company Limited is pleased to announce that its Kunlun Brand urea, a product manufactured by its five branch companies, was awarded the "Most Competitive Brand in Market for 2006" by the Ministry of Commerce at an award ceremony themed the "Road of the Chinese Brands" on 12 February 2007. The ceremony, jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce and CCTV, presented awards to 219 brands across a broad spectrum of industries. ZTE, Founder, Chery and Gree were also on the winning list.

The award signifies another recognition by the Chinese authorities following the winning of the "Famous Brands in China" in 2006.

Building China's own brands is one of the 13 main goals laid down by the Ministry of Commerce in 2006. Kicking off the task with a "Brand Promotion" campaign, the Ministry of Commerce has fostered brand building work in the commercial sphere in four key ways - brand evaluation, brand promotion, brand improvement and brand protection. The "Most Competitive Brand in Market for 2006" contest forms an essential part of the campaign, and marks the very first time the Ministry of Commerce has carried out such an activity.

According to the criteria set out by the Ministry of Commerce, the "Most Competitive Brand in Market" would only be awarded to brands which: are originated in China, originally registered in China, possess strong market influence, competitive and reputable, and whose products' qualities are advancing both domestically and abroad. The brands should also be strong in technological innovation and sustainable development, and be recognized by customers and the general public. The contest aims to highlight competitive Chinese brands in both local and overseas markets and boost awareness of innovation and brand protection among Chinese enterprises. It emphasizes on five areas of performance of each brand, namely brand awareness, brand loyalty, internationalization, brand investment and brand protection. At the same time, the contest also takes into account the "popularity" of the brands by honoring their sales performance and customer recognition for the last three years.

The contest has generated enthusiastic response since last August. In all, 35 provinces, autonomous regions, municipal cities as well as 26 national trade associations have recommended 736 brands from 677 enterprises across 19 industries ranging from home electrical appliances to food products and automobiles. Upon careful evaluation by leading brand experts, and coupled with consumer and internet surveys, 220 brands were finally selected for the award.

Being the largest urea manufacturer in China, PetroChina's Kunlun Brand urea has all along enjoyed an excellent reputation in the industry and among consumers, and has established a positive image domestically for Chinese brands, contributing significantly to the development of the Chinese agriculture as a whole.