China’s base oils demand fell back in April, highlighting the country’s muted recovery in lube consumption so far this year.Notional base oils demand, or output plus net imports, fell to 503,050t in April, down from more than 571,000t the previous month, government and industry data showed.The March volume had been the highest in a year.The April volume was similar to year-earlier levels, when lockdowns in major urban and industrial centres in China slashed economic activity and lubricants demand.A more muted recovery in China’s base oils and lube demand this year raised the prospect of persistent surplus base oils supplies in the Asia-Pacific market.Any pick-up in domestic base oils production could compound the size of the surplus..China’s April base oils imports fall
