China would raise gasoline and diesel prices by 600 yuan (about 87.8 U.S. dollars) per tonne, as of Tuesday, the National Development and Reform Commission announced Monday.

The increase will raise the price for gasoline by about 0.45 yuan per liter, and the price of diesel by about 0.51 yuan per liter, said the NDRC in a statement on its Web site.

It is the third oil price adjustment this year. On May 31, the NDRC raised the pump prices of gasoline and diesel by 400 yuan per tonne, or 7 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

The increase was in response to the rising international crude prices under the country's the new fuel pricing mechanism, which took effect January 1, according to the NDRC.

Under the pricing mechanism, China would consider changing benchmark retail prices of oil products when the international crude price rises or falls by a daily average of 4 percent over 20 days.

Oil prices settled at 69.16 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange last Friday, registering a 4.2 percent rise from the price of 66.31 dollars a barrel when the last adjustment took place on May 31.

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2009)