China is gradually building its first strategic oil stockpile but filling it will be a gradual process and will not impact global prices, Xu Yongsheng, deputy director of the energy bureau under the National Development and Reform Commission, told the Wall Street Journal. The effort to build the stockpile is likely to last a decade, Xu said, adding that �given the limited volume that China's going to fill, it won�t have too much impact on international prices�. The move takes forward a plan to prepare for potential future supply disruptions but the plan has led to concerns that oil buying will drive prices to even higher records. Xu said the stockpiling would not start now, when oil prices are above US$70 per barrel. China is the top oil consumer in Asia.
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