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", Bloomberg said Thursday, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.

"The refiners were asked to stop signing new contracts and to negotiate the cancellation of already-agreed shipments," it said.

A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry denied knowledge of the suspension when asked about it at a regular news conference.

PetroChina, Sinopec, CNOOC, Sinochem Group and private refiner Zhejiang Petrochemical regularly obtain fuel export quotas from the government, Bloomberg said.

Most of the companies did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for comment, while a spokesperson for PetroChina said they had no information to provide.

Bloomberg reported that at least one Japanese refiner cancelled exports of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel to prioritise domestic usage, while Thailand said it would stop fuel shipments.

John Gong, a political economy professor at the University of International Business and Economics, told AFP that the reports of China's export suspension were "very understandable".

"From China's perspective, we want to make sure that we have a stable domestic market. We don't want to see gasoline prices going through the roof," he said.

reb-sam/dhw/fox

PETROCHINA

SINOPEC - CHINA PETROLEUM & CHEMICAL CORPORATION

CNOOC