be three times as what it was...剖析

Petrol is three times as what it was a few years ago in China.

这句话是表示倍数的，把 as...as 结构补充完整应该是如何？后面的 what 去掉能不能，改成类似与 Petrol is three times as expensive as it was a few years ago in China.

Petrol is three times as what it was a few years ago in China.

这个句子结构错误。有二种改正办法：

1 The price of petrol is three times what it was a few years ago in China.

2 Petrol is three times as expensive as it was a few years ago in China.