HOUSTON, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The 38th CERAWeek, an annual energy conference that features presentations and discussions by the energy industry and government leaders, will be held here on Monday.

According to the organizer IHS Markit, a conference focusing on geopolitical dialogue on Monday morning will kick off the five-day CERAWeek 2019. The theme for this year's event is New World of Rivalries.

Challenges such as price volatility, environmental policy, disruptive technologies, inter-fuel competition, and lack of workforce for the future are to be discussed by more than 4,500 senior energy executives, investors and government officials from over 70 countries and regions.
In over 400 sessions, CERAWeek offers timely understanding on markets and strategies. The leadership circle program provides opportunities for peer-level dialogue in smaller communities.

There will be a special dialogue on China as well as several discussions designed to focus on Asian and Chinese energy market since China has become one of the largest energy consumption economies in the world. Some Chinese industry leaders, including China National Petroleum Corporation, Sinopec and Shanghai Petroleum, will participate in the discussions.

In 1983, Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) was founded in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The energy research and consulting firm quickly became known for its critical knowledge and independent analysis of energy markets, geopolitics, industry trends, technology and strategy.

Each year, CERA clients gathered for a few days in Houston to attend the executive conference where they gained insight into the energy future while connecting with their peers. Over time, the program was expanded to five days of informative sessions and networking opportunities and named CERAWeek.

Colorado-based Information Handling Services (IHS) was founded in 1959, aiming to serve customers ranging from governments and multi-national companies to smaller businesses and technical professionals. In 2004, the IHS acquired CERA.

Founded in 2003, London-based Markit is a global financial information and services company. The IHS and Markit combined and began trading on July 13, 2016, on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The new combined company, IHS Markit, was based in London.