China's 2026 first batch fuel export quotas steady year on year, sources say

SINGAPORE – China has issued 19 million tons of export quotas for refined fuels, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, in the first batch of allowances for 2026, three trade sources familiar with the matter said late Wednesday.

The world's second-largest oil consumer also allocated 8 million tons of low-sulphur marine fuel export quotas in this batch, the sources added.

Volumes for both categories were steady compared with the same period last year.

China manages its refined fuel exports through a quota system to maintain a balance between supply and demand in its domestic market. The Ministry of Commerce did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment via fax.

State-owned oil companies Sinopec and CNPC, the main recipients of the quotas, were granted 13.76 million tons for gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel exports—accounting for more than 70% of the total volume.

Major private refiner Zhejiang Petrochemical received 1.56 million tons of export quotas in the first batch.

Of the total 19 million tons of quotas for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, 6.6 million tons were designated for processing trade, typically used for aviation fuel bunkering.

Meanwhile, nearly 85% of the 8 million tons of low-sulphur marine fuel quotas were allocated to Sinopec and CNPC.

In the first 11 months of 2025, China exported a total of 52.65 million tons of refined oil products—including gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, and marine bunker fuel—a 3.2% decline from the previous year.

-Reporting by Trixie Yap and Siyi Liu; Additional reporting by Sam Li and Beijing newsroom; Edited by William Mallard/Reuters