The Chinese public awaits a new fuel tax and retail oil price mechanism after hints from energy policymakers.

An article in "the Beijing News" says the government should seize the opportunity to build and carry out the reform plan.

The newspaper notes that China has discussed a fuel tax for over ten years but previous plans failed due to slow government actions.

It suggests the government should not miss this opportunity as international crude oil prices have fallen below 50 US dollars a barrel.

The article calls on the new retail oil price mechanism to be connected with the international oil market.

Currently only crude oil prices in China are linked to the international market. Imbalance between domestic and international crude oil prices can mean unfairly high profits.

But the newspaper argues a floating fuel tax rate based on the international market could solve the problem.

The commentary concludes that the potential reform should be conducive for China to reduce vehicle emissions and improve energy efficiency.