China’s gasoline exports were down 44% in August from a year earlier while those of diesel fell 29.7%, customs data showed on Wednesday, due to lower refinery output and softening export margins.

Gasoline exports were at 770,000 metric tons last month, the lowest since April. That was off steeply from 1.38 million tons in August 2023 and also down from 790,000 tons in July, data from the General Administration of Customs data showed.

Diesel exports were at 880,000 tons last month, down sharply from 1.26 million tons a year earlier but up from July’s 540,000 tons.

China’s total refined fuel exports in August – including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and marine fuel – dropped 16.5% year-on-year to 4.92 million tons, the lowest since April.

Last month’s Chinese refinery throughput fell year-on-year for a fifth month in a row, as a sluggish economy weighed on diesel demand and accelerating sales of electric vehicles ate into gasoline use.

Jet fuel exports remained the highest among the three products thanks to the continued recovery in international travel, with volumes reaching 1.56 million tons, steady from last year’s1.55 million tons but down from 1.76 million tons in July.

Fuel provided to international flights is considered an export in customs statistics.

Dataalso showed China’s imports of liquefied natural gas at 6.54 million tons in August, up 5.1% on year, boosting the year-to-date volumes by10.7% to 50.29 million tons.
Source: Reuters (Reporting by Colleen Howe in Beijing and Chen Aizhu in Singapore; Editing by Eileen Soreng)