Energy Crisis Alert! China Halts Diesel and Petrol Exports

Energy Crisis Alert! China Halts Diesel and Petrol Exports

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — China is reported to have instructed its largest oil refineries to suspend exports of diesel and petrol. The report cites AFP, quoting Bloomberg News, Thursday (5 March 2026).

The war in the Middle East is increasingly seen as risking a supply crisis for energy. China itself is a net importer of oil and is one of several ‘major Asian economies’ dependent on the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which around 20% of the world’s oil passes, which Iran has currently closed.

Officials from China’s top planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission, met with representatives from oil refineries. The body reportedly asked for a temporary hold on shipments of refined products to begin immediately.

‘Refiners are asked to stop signing new contracts and to negotiate the cancellation of shipments already agreed,’ Bloomberg quoted a source familiar with the matter.

According to analytics firm Kpler, the Middle East accounted for 57% of China’s direct import of crude oil by sea in 2025. PetroChina, Sinopec, CNOOC, Sinochem Group, and private refiner Zhejiang Petrochemical regularly obtain government quotas for fuel exports.