China imported a record 11.33mn b/d of crude in 2023, up 11% on 2022 and more than 360,000 b/d above the previous annual record of 10.86mn b/d set in 2021.
December 2023 saw imports of 11.44mn b/d, according to headline figures released by China Customs on 12 January. Whilst official by-country import data are not yet available for December, adding the latest figures from data intelligence firm Kpler to official Jan-November stats shows that Russia surged ahead of Saudi Arabia as China’s top supplier for 2023 (MEES, 10 November 2023). (CONTINUED - 226 WORDS)