BEIJING, February 22 (Itar-Tass) - - Chinese oil companies will produce three million barrels of oil a day at foreign oil fields by 2015, the Chinese media says on Friday with reference to a report of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

“After the conclusion of the recent deals, China may become one of the biggest producers of oil on the shelf,” IEA chief economist Fatih Birol said.

According to the report, by 2015, China may increase the oil production abroady almost twice, leaving behind Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates according to this index. In 2011, China produced 1.5 million barrels a day at foreign oil fields, the Chinese media recalls.

In recent years, Chinese companies made a series of deals on the purchase of oil and gas assets abroad. In 2012 alone, the Chinese oil company Sinopec and the Chinese national offshore oil and gas corporation spent 35 billion dollars on these deals.