China has told its largest oil refiners to suspend exports of diesel and gasoline, citing unidentified sources, as the war in the Middle East risks an energy supply crunch.
China is a net importer of oil and is one of several major Asian economies that depend on the vital Strait of Hormuz for energy. Traffic through the strait is currently blocked.
The Middle East was the source of 57 percent of China's direct seaborne crude imports in 2025, according to analytics firm Kpler.
Officials from China's top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, met refinery representatives "and verbally called for a temporary suspension of refined product shipments that would begin immediately".
"The refiners were asked to stop signing new contracts and to negotiate the cancellation of already-agreed shipments," it said.
