Global oil and gas major Chesaspeake is seeking out partners in Asia to jointly develop gas fields in the US.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the company has been in negotiations with Chinese companies to initiate the sale of up to 20 per cent of the Eagle Ford field in Texas.

Any deal is likely to include a clause to offer training to Chinese engineers working on the project, according to the company's chief financial officer Marcus Rowland.

He said that the company is also talking to other Asian companies about a potential deal, although no specific firms were named.

The partnership is likely to be attractive to state-owned Chinese energy firms as the country looks to reduce its dependence on oil and gas imports.

In pursuance of this, the China National Offshore Oil Corp put in a winning bid to develop Iraq's vast Rumaila field, working alongside BP.

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