PetroChina was the first energy-sector company to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization.
PetroChina briefly reached a market value of about $1 trillion on November 5, 2007, during its first trading day in Shanghai. The surge followed the company’s share listing and made it the first energy company to cross that symbolic valuation threshold.
PetroChina is the publicly listed arm of China National Petroleum Corporation, one of China’s major state-owned energy groups. Its activities include oil and gas exploration, production, refining, chemicals, pipelines, and fuel sales.
The 2007 valuation was short-lived, and the company’s share price later fell substantially. That episode shows why market capitalization milestones should be tied to a date: they reflect the market price at a particular time, not a permanent measure of business size. PetroChina’s milestone also predates Saudi Aramco’s 2019 public listing.