Middle East oil's grip on Asian share is slipping.

摘要

Officials in Saudi Arabia—-Japan's top supplier of crude—say that Japanese refiners do not need to worry. Calling the country "one of our strongest partners," Aabed Al-Saadoun, deputy minister for company affairs at the Saudi Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, said that "The recent agreement among OPEC and non-OPEC members for oil exports reduction will not impact our commitments and oil exports to Japan." But while the Saudis may be able to keep volumes unchanged, pricing is another matter, and it appears that Japanese refiners are taking interest in cheaper grades linked to WTI.