China's crude oil imports rise for a second month in August as fuel exports jump 29 percent

According to official Chinese customs data reported by Oilprice.com on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 (17 Shahrivar 1405), China's crude oil imports rose for a second consecutive month in August to 37.93 million tons, or 8.93 million barrels a day, up 6.2 percent from July and extending the recovery from June's decade low. The figure is still 23.4 percent below last August but a marked improvement from June's low of 7.1 million barrels a day. Chinese refiners have increased purchases of non Middle Eastern crude, including Russian ESPO grade and Argentine oil, while also boosting fuel exports; refined product exports jumped 29 percent from July to 6 million tons in August, above the 5.33 million tons exported in August last year. Emma Li, an analyst at ship tracking firm Vortexa, told Reuters the rise in crude imports is in line with the surge in fuel exports in August and continued strong exports in September.