China imported 289,277 tonnes of naphtha in November, a rise of about 35% from the previous month, data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed.

Lower naphtha prices in the international market stimulated Chinas imports in November, market sources said.

In contrast, the country reduced naphtha exports as demand from Asia was weak when cracking margins were low. It exported 28,431 tonnes of naphtha in the month, down by 6.6% month on month, the data indicated.

Chinas naphtha imports amounted to 2.23m tonnes in January-November 2011, down by 11% from the same period in 2010 and its exports fell by 46% to 467,666 tonnes, according to the data.