Xinhua to resume posting of monthly oil stock data

Xinhua News Agency said it will resume publishing China’s commercial oil stocks data each month. China has been criticized repeatedly by the International Energy Agency, the energy watchdog of industrialized nations, for a lack of transparency in its oil data. Xinhua did publish some monthly inventory data during part of 2009. The country already publishes oil import and export data, along with refinery runs information. China’s commercial oil stock numbers are crucial in calculating the country’s oil demand. (March 3, 2010)