China's refined oil product exports in April dropped by 38 per cent from the same period last year, customs data showed on Monday, curbed by fuel export restrictions that came into effect in mid-March.
The refined oil exports, which include diesel, gasoline, aviation fuel and marine fuel, totalled 3.12 million tonnes in April, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.
Beijing started the fuel export restriction in mid-March to limit the impact of the Iran war on domestic supply, but designated volume for countries including Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and the Philippines.
The restriction also excluded exports to Hong Kong and Macau, as well as aviation fuel refuelling for international flights and bunker sales for shippers on international voyages.
Jet fuel exports in April slumped 47.5 per cent to 990,000 tonnes, while diesel exports dropped 54.8 per cent to 230,000 tonnes.
In the first four months of 2026, China exported 15.87 million tonnes of refined oil, down nine per cent year-on-year.
The data also showed LNG imports fell to the lowest level in eight years at 3.55 million tonnes in April, posting a 23 per cent drop year-on-year.
The first four months of 2026 saw 17.94 million tonnes of LNG imports, down 10.3 per cent from the same period last year.
(Reporting by Sam Li and Lewis Jackson; Editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar)