Cyprus' Interior Minister says China's state-owned oil and gas company CNOOC is among several firms showing interest in investing in the island's offshore natural gas field.

Neoklis Sylikiotis didn't elaborate on Sunday on what kind of investment CNOOC is looking to make.

In December, U.S. firm Noble Energy announced the discovery of an estimated 5-8 trillion cubic feet (140-230 billion cubic meters) of gas off the island's south coast. And last month, Cyprus launched a second licensing round for more offshore exploratory drilling.

Sylikiotis' remarks come days after Cyprus' Finance Minister Kikis Kazamias said that an Asian investor is interested in buying around euro500 million ($665 million) worth of Cypriot bonds