China, the world's largest crude importer, was non-committal about whether it will release oil from its reserves as requested by Washington, while OPEC sources said the U.S. action has not made the producer group change course.
OPEC expects a release of oil stocks by majors consumers to significantly increase a global glut in the next few months, an OPEC source said, just over a week before a meeting to decide immediate output policy.
Asia's cash premiums for benchmark 10 ppm gasoil and jet fuel cargoes continued to rise on Wednesday as firming demand draws on inventories at key storage and trading hubs.
Oil prices rose after the U.S.-coordinated release of emergency petroleum stocks was announced on Tuesday, as the volume of extra petroleum offered to the market proved smaller than traders anticipated.