Abstract: Large-scale oil and gas fields such as Karamay, Kela-2, Yingdong, Zhongba and Baimamiao have been discovered in the foreland thrust belts around the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of Midwest China. The paper analyzes and compares the structural characteristics of the foreland thrust belts and its relationship with oil and gas, and summerizes the petroleum distribution in the foreland thrust belts and its exploration areas in the Midwest China. Along the strike, the foreland thrust belt is generally divided into three large structural segments—the mid-segment of the foreland thrust belt is located in the hydrocarbon generation center with enriched oil and gas; from the piedmont area into basin, the foreland thrust belt can be divided into three hydrocarbon enrichment zones such as piedmont nappe belt, footwall covered structure and late inner-basin tectonic belt. Oil and gas accumulated in the paleostructures in the piedmont nappe belt. The footwall covered structure and the late inner-basin tectonic belt are characterized by hydrocarbon accumulation in the near-source and near-fracture areas and oil and gas enrichment in the deep strata. The foreland thrust belt is dominated by structural reservoirs. Additionally, stratigraphic reservoirs such as base rock weathering crust and unconformity barrier are developed in the piedmont nappe belt, and structural-lithological reservoirs are developed in the late inner-basin tectonic belt. Based on the understanding of the petroleum enrichment regularity and the three major exploration fields in the middle and deep of the foreland thrust belt, and combined with the exploration status of the foreland thrust belt in southern margin of Junggar basin, the areas for further exploration are defined as the Qigu fault-fold zone and the lower assemblage in the Wukui anticline zone in the middle segment of the southern margin