Oil Stockpile Fall in Jan

China's crude oil stockpile edged down by the end of January, according to an index of the nation's petroleum stockpile released Thursday by the Xinhua News Agency.

The crude oil stockpile, excluding the reserve stockpile, was down 1 percent compared to the end of December, as the amount of crude oil used for refining hit a record high during January.

In January, oil products in general saw an increase in stockpiles owing to the surge in crude oil refining. By the end of the month, the gasoline stockpile had grown by 5.47 percent month-on-month, with the diesel and kerosene stockpiles rising by 18.05 percent and 1.37 percent, respectively.