China's crude imports from the Middle East fall

Oil

China’s crude imports from the Middle East fell to 4.5M b/d in March, a decline of 500K b/d compared to January-February levels, China customs data reports. Iraq was the only country in the region from which China increased imports, growing by 26K b/d to 1.32M b/d, with imports from Saudi Arabia dropping by 115K b/d to 1.77M b/d. Imports from Europe reached a record high in March of 526K b/d, up 124K b/d. China’s total crude oil imports in March fell by 800K b/d from January-February levels to 9.7M b/d.