Briefly

FAW Group sales rise 9.5% in Q1

Chinese automaker FAW Group Co Ltd has reported a surge in vehicle sales in the first quarter of the year. Sales exceeded 743,000 units in the first three months, up 9.5 percent year-on-year, according to the carmaker. Of the group's total sales, its Hongqi car brand alone accounted for 100,300 units, a year-on-year increase of 64.3 percent. FAW Group, founded in 1953 in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin province, is regarded as the cradle of China's auto industry.

Retail prices of gasoline, diesel raised

China raised the retail prices of gasoline and diesel on Tuesday, based on recent changes in international oil prices. Gasoline and diesel prices will increase by 200 yuan ($28.2) and 190 yuan per metric ton, respectively, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement. Under China's current pricing mechanism, the prices of refined oil products are adjusted following changes in international crude oil prices.

More wells in operation in key shale gas field

The Fuling shale gas field in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality put into operation 33 new wells in the first quarter, up 50 percent from the previous year, according to the Fuling branch of Sinopec Jianghan Oilfield, the developer. The gas field produced 1.819 billion cubic meters of gas during the period, of which 1.745 billion cubic meters were sold, according to the developer. As the country's first large-scale shale gas field to enter commercial development back in 2014, Fuling has become a clean energy source for more than 70 cities along the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China.

Xinhua - China Daily