A worker changes oil prices at a gas station in Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong Province, on December 19, 2008. China slashed the benchmark prices for fuel from 6.37 yuan ($0.93) per litre to 5.46 yuan starting Friday morning, which was earlier than the long-awaited government scheme on fuel taxation and pricing slated for January 1 next year. (Xinhua) |