Exxon, Shell advance in Newfield's Asia auction: sources HONG KONG/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Energy majors Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) are among the suitors advancing to the next round of bidding for Newfield Exploration Co's Malaysian and Chinese oil and gas fields valued at about $1.2 billion, people familiar with the matter said. Nearly a dozen suitors were attracted to Newfield's auction that kicked off about two months ago. Newfield's advisor, Goldman Sachs (GS.N), has whittled down to the list to at least four, inviting Canada's Talisman Energy Inc (TLM.TO) and KUFPEC, a unit of Kuwait Petroleum Corp, to submit second-round bids in mid-September along with Exxon and Shell, the people added. Woodlands, Texas-based Newfield, Exxon and Shell declined to comment. Talisman did not reply to an email seeking comment, while KUFPEC could not be reached for comment. The sources declined to be identified as the sale process is confidential. Reporting by Denny Thomas in HONG KONG and Niki Koswanage in KUALA LUMPUR; Additional reporting by Andrew Callus in LONDON; Editing by Matt Driskill