China's rapidly rising crude oil consumption has been a cause of concern, both for China's own energy security and the effects this rising demand has on world oil markets. However, one must disaggregate the domestic Chinese demand for petroleum products to reveal what sort of policy options...

The oil refining industry in China has faced rapid growth in oil imports of increasingly sour grades of crude with which to satisfy growing domestic demand for a slate of lighter and cleaner finished products sold at subsidized prices. At the same time, the world petroleum refining industry has...