GreenergyDaily

Mar. 5, 2026

China’s government has told the country’s largest oil refiners to suspend exports of diesel and gasoline as an escalating conflict in the Persian Gulf disrupts the arrival of crude from one of the world’s largest producing regions.

Officials from the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s top economic planner, met refinery executives and verbally called for a temporary suspension of refined product shipments that would begin immediately, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The refiners were asked to stop signing new contracts and to negotiate the cancellation of already-agreed shipments. the people said. An exception was made for jet and bunker fuel held in bonded storage and supplies to Hong Kong and Macau, they added.

PetroChina Co., Sinopec, CNOOC Ltd., Sinochem Group and private refiner Zhejiang Petrochemical Co. regularly obtain fuel export quotas from the government.