CNPC puts stop to chairman missing rumor

BEIJING -- The Chairman of China National Petroleum Corporation Jiang Jiemin was interviewed by Xinhua on Thursday, scotching rumors that he had "mysteriously" disappeared.

He was interviewed by Xinhua magazine Economy and Nation Weekly.

CNPC, which is parent company of PetroChina, posted a news release about the interview to put a stop to rumors that Jiang had disappeared, which had spread in cyberspace since early this week.

On Tuesday, CNPC -- China's largest oil producer -- issued a statement that said Jiang had attended a company meeting on Monday, hoping that it would quash misleading rumors that had been circulating.

Jiang had not been seen for about one month after he attended a work report meeting held in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 2.

Jiang had been receiving therapy in hospital because of sickness, which is not a fatal one, according to CNPC.

Jiang said in Thursday's news release that China would put a new gas pipeline into operation by the end of the year.

The 8,700-kilometer long pipeline, which connects the country's west with the east, has an annual gas transportation capability of 30 billion cubic meters.

It is the second gas pipeline connecting the west and the east, said Jiang, adding that central government had approved building a third one within three years.

PetroChina Co closed slightly higher on Thursday in the Shanghai bourse.