China's crude Oil Imports from Russia Decline in April

China's crude oil imports from Russia decreased by 12.9% year-on-year in April, totaling 8.07 million metric tons, or 1.96 million barrels per day, according to Chinese customs data released on Tuesday, May 20. This also represents a 5.8% decrease compared to March's 2.08 million bpd. Imports from Malaysia, a key hub for sanctioned Iranian oil, reached 7.95 million tons, or 1.93 million bpd, marking a 96.9% increase year-on-year. China's total crude oil imports for April were 48.06 million tons, or 11.69 million bpd. This figure is lower than March but reflects a 7.5% increase from the previous year, attributed to increased deliveries of sanctioned shipments and stock building by state refiners during maintenance. Imports from Saudi Arabia, the third-largest supplier, fell by 12.8% year-on-year to 5.53 million tons, or 1.35 million bpd. Notably, customs data indicated no crude oil imports from Iran and Venezuela in April.