China exported record volumes of diesel in March and boosted sales of gasoline and kerosene as refiners continued to turn to foreign markets to offload their excess product, while liquefied natural gas imports also jumped, customs data showed on Sunday.
Diesel exports jumped 53 percent to 1.91 million tonnes, data from the Chinese customs authority showed, outpacing the previous record of 1.78 million set in December.
Gasoline exports rose 25 percent in March compared with the same month a year earlier to 840,000 tonnes, but were down 21 percent from February.
Kerosene shipments abroad were 1.25 million tonnes, up 21.4 percent year-on-year and up 23 percent from February.
The high monthly shipments led to big increases in the first quarter and will reinforce concerns that China, one of the world's top energy markets, is contributing to a fuel overhang as refiners churn out more products like gasoline and diesel than the market can absorb.
China became a net exporter of fuel products in late 2016.
LNG imports totalled 1.99 million tonnes in the month, up 18 percent year-on-year but down 19.5 percent from February and the lowest monthly total since October last year.