Torsdag ramte det vist mange kinesere som en overraskelse, at regeringen valgte at hæve priserne for benzin og diesel i løbet af natten. Ikke fordi man ikke havde regnet med det, men de fleste havde nok forventet, at der ikke ville ske noget før efter OL.
Petrol will cost 0.8 yuan (12 cents) and diesel 0.92 yuan more for a liter from today, and electricity charges for commercial units will go up by 0.025 yuan ($0.4 cents) per kwh from July 1.[...] The government was forced to raise oil prices from midnight last night, the first time in eight months, because of the soaring price of crude in the international market. (China Daily)
Det er uden tvivl godt nyt for landet to olie giganter Sinopec og PetroChina, som har set sig tvunget til at reducere deres produktion for at minimere deres tab.
The move is expected to bring some relief to domestic refineries, which have been reeling under losses, and ensure a stable supply of oil in the market. “The increase in the prices will benefit domestic oil companies,” the NDRC said in a statement yesterday. [...] The country’s largest refinery, Sinopec, incurred a loss of more than 20 billion yuan in its refining business in the first quarter of this year.The largest oil company, PetroChina, saw its net profit fall by more than 30 percent in the first three months, with losses in its refining wing being the biggest contributor. (China Daily)
Prisstigningen svare til en stigning på henholdsvis18 og 16 % for diesel og benzin. Kina har da også været under pres for at reducere deres støtte til olieselskaberne, som holder prisen kunstigt nede, og mange har beskyldt den kinesiske politik for at presse verdenmarkedsprisen op ved at opfordre til et unaturligt højt forbrug, som følge af de lave priser, og samtidig har det næppe haft en positiv indvirkning på miljøet.
The government has come under intense pressure recently from both environmentalists and other governments to ease up on its fuel subsidies, which are blamed for distorting global markets, encouraging greater consumption and pushing oil prices higher for other nations. (NY Times)
Tilsyneladende er det denne gang foregået i forholdsvis god ro og orden, men det har før gået voldsomt for sig når priserne er steget.
Price controls have saved Chinese consumers and businesses billions — and prevented the kind of protests that led to rioting, and even a murder at the pump, the last time prices rose. (NY Times)
Et af formålene med den lave oliepris har været at fremme den økonomiske udvikling, men med oliepriser der på et eller andet tidspunkt nærmer sig det internationale niveau vil konkurrence evner ganske givet blive forringet.
As a matter of policy, the Chinese government sets gasoline and diesel prices well below international market prices in order to encourage economic growth. In 2007, China’s subsidy of gasoline alone was $22 billion, close to 1 percent of its gross national product. While in the past this formula for economic growth worked miracles by allowing businesses and factories in China that use oil to operate at low cost, it is now at the crux of one of China’s biggest policy issues. (NY Times)
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