Sinopec processes 6.3% more crude oil

Sinopec Corp, Asia's largest refiner, processed 6.3 percent more crude oil last year, after the government called for local plants to boost production.

The Beijing-based company processed 155.6 million tons of crude in 2007, about 3.13 million barrels a day, Sinopec said in a statement on its website yesterday.

The company's crude oil output rose 2.3 percent to 291.7 million barrels last year. Its natural gas production increased 10.3 percent to 283 billion cubic feet, the statement said.