Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) yesterday opposed the idea of state-owned oil refiner CPC Corp, Taiwan, setting up 200 gas stations in China’s Fujian Province, refining oil for PetroChina Co and reselling oil products to China.
Hsu said that the CPC is allegedly planning to cooperate with PetroChina in an effort to improve its performance.
Hsu said that oil refineries produce air pollution and high carbon emissions, and if CPC and PetroChina were to cooperate, it would definitely cause air pollution in Taiwan to become even more serious and would undermine public health.
“This would render Taiwan unable to reach its goal of cutting carbon emissions,” Hsu told a press conference.
On the other hand, only PetroChina and the residents of China’s southeastern coastal provinces would receive benefits, he added.
In response, CPC said the company is still assessing a cooperation project with China.
CPC Trading Department head Bi Su-chien (畢淑蒨) said the company is not selling its oil products in China and that a plan to cooperate with PetroChina to set up gasoline stations in Fujian Province is still being assessed.
According to Chen Su-ming (陳思明), a section head of the state-owned Enterprise Commission under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, CPC refines 700,000 tonnes of oil products daily.
As supply surpasses demand, about 11 percent of gasoline, 30 percent of diesel oil and 3 percent of fuel oil are exported to Indonesia, the Philippines and New Zealand, Chen said.
“Actively tapping new markets is an issue CPC must address,” Chen added.
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