The much-waited reforms on resource product prices may be delayed as the country's overall price level remains high.

   The country's high consumer price index, which has been higher than what the government desires for months and poses to rise further as food prices have difficulties in falling, has triggered the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to order local governments to do a good job in stabilizing local price levels and forbid them to raise prices at whims.

   Though the pricing reforms on resource products including oil/gas link to the success of the country's drive of cutting energy consumption and waste emission, another major task of the Chinese government, they will quite likely take a back seat to the country's overall price level control this time.

   The judgment can find proof in the fact that NDRC has turned down the requests of oil majors -- Sinopec and PetroChina -- for product oil price hikes recently. Sources say the oil companies cited rising international oil prices and applied to raise gasoline prices by 200 yuan per ton and diesel prices by 150 yuan per ton.