Plans to establish strategic oil reserves around the country are being stepped up as the threat of war in the Middle East looms ever closer.
Professor Chen Mian of the University of Petroleum in Beijing, a delegate to the CPPCC, said ground-level oil tanks and underground natural caverns would both be considered as possible storage facilities.
This was in line with methods adopted by other countries, he said.
'I believe that eventually, China will have more underground storage areas than oil tanks, largely due to costs and safety concerns,' he added.
'Underground caverns are safer than oil tanks. They are also cheaper and less of a fire hazard.'
Tanks generally cost more than underground caverns, which are created in hollows occurring in impervious rocks. The only problem is that these natural phenomenon are not easily located.