Twenty-three Chinese energy companies were admitted to the 2012 Platts Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings, which was launched on Wednesday in Singapore by Platts, an energy, petrochemicals and metals information provider.

Overtaking Canada and Japan for the first time, China has 23 companies on the 2012 list, more than any other nation except the United States, thanks to the huge domestic market demand.

Companies were selected after a comprehensive evaluation of asset value, revenue, profits and returns on invested capital in 2011. All the companies must be publicly listed and own assets of at least $4 billion.

Energy giants Exxon Mobil Corp, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Chevron Corp are the top three.