Hong Kong gov’t urged to stabilise oil prices as some residents turn to illicit fuel amid Middle East war

2026-03-13 - 06:15

The Hong Kong government has been urged to negotiate with oil giants to stabilise fuel prices, as some residents have resorted to buying illicit fuel amid soaring oil costs. Lawmaker Holden Chow, vice chair of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), said on RTHK on Friday morning that skyrocketing oil prices due to the war in the Middle East had affected Hong Kong residents’ livelihoods, especially those who rely on driving for a living. Hong Kong lawmaker Holden Chow speaks on September 10, 2025. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Chow said some drivers had resorted to buying illegal fuel and urged the government to try to solve the problem. He also suggested inviting oil giants to the legislature to explain how the companies set fuel prices. Chow spoke a day after the Fire Services Department (FSD) told journalists that a man was intercepted on Wednesday night in To Kwa Wan after he was suspected of operating an illegal gas station. The FSD said it received a report that a shop in To Kwa Wan was allegedly storing an excessive amount of dangerous goods. Upon inspection, police and FSD officers discovered 850 litres of gasoline, along with refuelling equipment such as fuel nozzles and hoses. A petrol station in Hong Kong’s Chai Wan. File photo: Wikimedia Commons. Speaking on the same RTHK programme on Wednesday, Adrian Ho, a lawmaker from the New People’s Party (NPP), said that it “is not unreasonable” for the government to intervene in the fuel market as fuel prices had become “unreasonable.” In Hong Kong, the price of Esso standard petrol has risen by 6.4 per cent since February 28, when the war began, reaching HK$23.43 per litre, according to the Consumer Council’s Oil Price Watch. The price of Sinopec standard petrol has increased by 11 per cent since February 28, reaching to HK$19.03 per litre. Oil prices have surged worldwide since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict last month. The International Energy Agency warned on Thursday that the war “is creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market.”