Business Times: China Considers Shorter Gap Between Gas Price Adjustments

China is considering shortening the time between adjusting natural gas pricing to better reflect domestic market fundamentals, senior planning officials said, falling short of giving a clear signal if a much-anticipated price cut is near.

Price adjustments have been once a year under a scheme started July 2013. The government last adjusted prices on April 1, effectively merging a two-tier pricing into one to track an oil market slump.

China is world's No.3 gas consumer, but consumption has been hit be a cooling economy and an inflexible pricing system.

Under Beijing's pricing policy Chinese industrial users are paying among the world's highest prices, threatening the country's targets of curbing pollution and emissions by using more of the fuel. MORE