- BEIJING: China’s crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia rose to 1.12 million barrels per day in December, the fourth highest on record on a daily basis, Chinese customs data showed, as the Kingdom pumped just under the 10 million bpd mark.
Data from the China General Administration of Customs showed Chinese imports were a touch below November’s 1.17 million bpd.
The record was 9.56 percent more crude oil from the Kingdom last month versus December 2010 and wound up the whole of 2011 with 12.6 percent growth at 50.28 million tons, or 1.01 million bpd.
That would leave Saudi supplying nearly 20 percent of total crude oil imports at about 5.08 million bpd into China, the world’s second-largest crude buyer after the US.
The December Saudi imports were a touch below November’s 1.17 million bpd. The record was set in December 2009 at 1.18 million bpd and the third highest in July 2009 at 1.15 million bpd.