China's refined oil consumption drops in Jan.-Aug.

China's refined oil consumption registered a drop in the January-August period, industrial data showed.

Apparent consumption of refined oil came in at 217.33 million tonnes for the period, down 3.5 percent year on year, according to data from the National Development and Reform Commission.

Consumption of gasoline fell 0.5 percent year on year and consumption of aviation fuel dropped 38.4 percent, while that of diesel gained 2 percent from January to August.

Meanwhile, apparent consumption of natural gas totaled 205.87 billion cubic meters in the first eight months, up 3.2 percent year on year, the data showed.