Petrol and diesel fuel prices were raised by Rmb480 per tonne on 10 November, according to the National Development and Reform Commission. The benchmark price of petrol is now Rmb7,100 per tonne and the price of diesel fuel is Rmb6,360 per tonne.

The retail price of petrol has been increased by Rmb0.36 per litre, while that of diesel fuel has risen by Rmb0.41 per litre.

The commission said that the price increase was made in response to recent changes in the international price of crude oil, which had climbed more than 4 per cent to around US$80 per barrel over the previous 22 trading days.

This is the ninth adjustment since China adopted a new fuel pricing mechanism at the start of this year, which links domestic oil prices to international oil prices in a controlled manner.