China’s crude oil imports from Russia rise in September despite US pressure

Russia remained China’s top crude oil supplier in September, at a time when the United States is stepping up pressure on major economies to curb their reliance on energy from the Eurasian country.

Imports from Russia rose 4.3 per cent in volume from August to 8.29 million tonnes in September, accounting for 17.5 per cent of China’s total crude imports, customs data showed – a sign of Beijing’s willingness to maintain trade links with Moscow despite geopolitical frictions.

Chinese purchases of US crude oil have been suspended since June, according to customs, though American supplies previously made up only a small share of the country’s total imports.