Diesel rationed in booming areas

Some gas stations in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces and the outskirts of Shanghai have begun rationing diesel, Xinhua reported (in Chinese). The limits are being seen as evidence of a supply squeeze after the wholesale price of diesel rose last week, driven by rising global crude oil prices. Analysts said that although the National Development and Reform Commission strictly controls the domestic price of oil products, crude prices, which soared to a new high of US$92 a barrel on Friday, have put a pinch on domestic refiners' output.