HONG KONG Aug 19 (Reuters) – Canadian retailer Alimentation
Couche-Tard Inc and China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd
are among suitors short-listed to buy a $16 billion
minority stake in China’s Sinopec Sales, the world’s largest
fuel retail network, people familiar with the matter told
Reuters.

China Life Insurance Co Ltd, the nation’s
biggest insurer, Hong Kong-listed ENN Energy Holdings Ltd
privately-owned Fosun Group, Hopu Investment
Management and Affinity Equity Partners have also progressed to
the next round, the people added.

Final bids are due by end-August, though it was not clear
how many shortlisted bidders are likely to make offers.

Formally known as China Petroleum Chemical Corp
, state-run Sinopec plans to sell up to 30 percent of
the business by end-2014 as Beijing restructures state-owned
assets.

(Additional reporting by Charlie Zhu, Matthew Miller, Euan
Rocha, Allison Lampert and Heng Xie; Reporting by Denny Thomas
and Stephen Aldred; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)