BEIJING: China's exports of refined oil products in September surged 39.4 per cent year-on-year, data showed on Sunday, with diesel exports reaching their highest in more than three years amid a tight global market as the Iran war and other conflicts curb output from the Middle East and Russia.
China, a key exporter of refined oil products in Asia, restricted exports of refined products, including diesel, gasoline and jet fuel, in mid-March to safeguard domestic supplies amid risks from the Middle East, then eased the curbs in mid-July.
Exports of refined oil products, which include diesel, gasoline, jet fuel and marine fuel, rose 19 per cent in September from the previous month to 7.16 million metric tons, the customs data showed, continuing the strong growth momentum seen in August.
In the first three quarters, the country exported 41.4 million tons of refined oil products, down 3.7 per cent year-on-year.
China's combined exports of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel totalled 4.41 million tons in September, up 56 per cent from last September and exceeding the 2025 monthly average of three million tons.
Jet fuel exports rose 16.7 per cent year-on-year to 1.94 million tons in September. In the first nine months, jet fuel exports totalled 13.7 million tons, down 11 per cent year-on-year.
Diesel exports rose 262.3 per cent year-on-year to 1.85 million tons in September to their highest since February 2023.
In the first nine months, diesel exports totalled 6.68 million tons, up 31.6 per cent year-on-year. Gasoline exports stood at 620,000 tons in September, down 4.1 per cent year-on-year.
From January to September, China exported 3.04 million tons of gasoline, down 51.9 per cent year-on-year.
The data also showed that LNG imports fell 1.4 per cent year-on-year to 5.61 million tons in September.
China's LNG imports totalled 44.62 million tons in the first nine months.
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