Sunday, November 16, 2025

China News

Yanchang Seeks Non-Russian Oil in Tender

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Chinese refiner Yanchang Petroleum is seeking non-Russian oil in its latest crude tender, trade sources told Reuters on Tuesday, while others said Sinopec subsidiary Luoyang Petrochemical has shut for maintenance as an indirect result of Western sanctions.China's state oil companies and some Indian refiners are avoiding buying Russian oil due to concerns about falling foul of secondary sanctions after recent western sanctions on Russian oil shipments, including last month's U.S.

China Suspends Russian Oil Purchases Due to Sanctions

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Chinese state oil majors have suspended purchases of seaborne Russian oil after the United States imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Moscow's two biggest oil companies, multiple trade sources said on Thursday.The move comes as refiners in India, the largest buyer of seaborne Russian oil, are set to sharply cut their crude imports from Moscow, to comply with the U.S.

Oil Prices Settle 1.5% Lower as US-China Trade Tensions Persist

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Oil prices fell on Tuesday, settling 1.5% lower as the International Energy Agency warned of a huge supply glut in 2026, and as trade tensions persisted between the U.S. and China, the world's two biggest economies.Brent crude futures fell 93 cents, or 1.5%, to settle at $62.39 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was down 1.3%, or 79 cents, at $58.70. Both contracts were at a five-month low.In the previous session, Brent settled 0.9% higher, and U.S.

US Sanctions on Iranian Oil Target Sinopec

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The latest U.S. sanctions on Iranian petroleum exports deal a blow to Chinese refining giant Sinopec by targeting a terminal through which the state major handles one-fifth of its crude oil imports, industry executives and analysts said.The sanctions announced on Thursday further complicate U.S.-China relations, coming ahead of planned talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping later this month.The move follows China's decision to…

US Imposes Sanctions on Oil Refineries and Purchases

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The U.S. imposed sanctions on about 100 individuals, entities and vessels, including a Chinese independent refinery and terminal, that helped Iran's oil and petrochemicals trade, the administration of President Donald Trump said on Thursday.The Treasury Department sanctioned the Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group, which it said is an independent teapot refinery in Shandong Province that has purchased millions of barrels of Iranian oil since 2023.It also sanctioned China-based Rizhao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal…

Third Russian Tanker from Sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 Discharges and Departs China

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A third tanker from Russia's Arctic LNG 2 plant, which is under Western sanctions, discharged its cargo and exited a terminal in China on Wednesday, LSEG and Kpler's ship-tracking data showed.The U.S.-sanctioned LNG tanker Zarya unloaded more than 160,000 cubic meters of LNG from the sanctioned Russian project Arctic LNG 2 at the Beihai LNG Terminal in Guangxi, southern China.China has so far received three cargoes of LNG from Arctic LNG 2, totalling more than 386…

Third Russian Arctic LNG 2 Plant Tanker Arrives in China

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A third tanker from Russia's Arctic LNG 2 plant, which is under Western sanctions, has arrived in China, LSEG ship-tracking data showed on Tuesday.The data showed that LNG tanker Zarya is berthed at China's Beihai LNG terminal in the southern region of Guangxi.A first LNG cargo from Arctic LNG 2 was delivered last month to China by the Arctic Mulan tanker, the data showed.The Arctic project began production in December 2023, but is behind schedule in supplying cargoes of gas because of shortages of ice-class gas carriers and Western sanctions over R

Sanctioned Arctic Mulan LNG Tanker Berths in China

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A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas from Russia's sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 plant has moored at an import terminal in southern China on Thursday, after loading at a Russian storage facility in June, Kpler and LSEG ship-tracking data showed.If the tanker discharges the LNG at the terminal, this would be the first cargo from the Arctic LNG 2 project to be received. The project is targeted by Western sanctions over Russia's war with Ukraine.The…

Chinese Refiners Purchase 15 Cargoes of Russian Oil, Indian Demand Falls

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Chinese refineries have purchased 15 cargoes of Russian oil for October and November delivery as Indian demand for Moscow's exports falls away, two analysts and one trader said on Tuesday.India has emerged as the leading buyer of Russian seaborne oil, which has sold at a discount since some Western nations shunned purchases and imposed restrictions on Russian exports over Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.Indian state refiners paused Russian oil purchases last month, however, as those discounts narrowed. And U.S.

China Ramps Up Refined Fuel Exports As Profit Margins Rise

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China's exports of key refined fuels are on track to jump to the highest in 16 months as refiners take advantage of rising profit margins.Shipments in July of middle and light distillates, which include diesel and gasoline, are forecast to reach 26.63 million barrels, or 859,000 barrels per day, data compiled by commodity analysts Kpler shows.This figure is up from 796,000 bpd in June and the highest since the 1.06 million bpd in March 2024…

Russian Yamal LNG Plant Ships First Cargo This Season Via Northern Sea Route

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Russia's Yamal LNG plant, operated by Novatek, has dispatched a first cargo of liquefied natural gas this season via the Northern Sea Route to China, Kommersant daily reported on Friday, citing Kpler data.It said the Arc 7 ice-class tanker Georgiy Ushakov left the port of Sabetta on June 19 and has been moving eastward along Russia's Arctic shore.The route, challenging due to thick ice and cold weather during the winter season, gained more importance over the past few years as Europe, once the largest buyer of Russia's fossil fuels, imposed a number

Key China Energy Indicators to Track for the Rest of 2024

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Slower consumption in China spurred the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut estimates for global oil demand growth this week, highlighting the vital role that the world's second largest economy plays in energy markets.Yet overall electricity generation in China climbed to new highs in the first half of 2024 - indicating robust use by households and factories - and imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) rose 10% to…

Russia Ships Naphtha to China via North Sea Route

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Russia is shipping a naphtha cargo via the North Sea Route (NSR) as Moscow seeks to increase supplies using the route to major trade partner China, cutting its way through European waters, traders said and Refinitiv data showed.SCF Irtysh is loaded with with 37,000 tonnes of naphtha onboard, loaded at Ust-Luga port on August 5, 2023, for delivery to China. It is the first such loading since at least the late 2000s, according to two traders.The supplier of the cargo was Gazprom Neft, the traders said.

Pakistan and China Sign $4.8 Billion Nuclear Power Plant Deal

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Pakistan and China signed a $4.8 billion deal on Tuesday to build a 1,200-megawatt nuclear power plant, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, hailing the investment by a country that Pakistan views as its most dependable ally.Work on the Chashma 5 project would begin immediately, Sharif said on state-run news channel PTV following the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between China National Nuclear Cooperation and Pakistan Atomic…

China’s 2021 Crude Oil Imports Down 5.7% - BIMCO

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Chinese crude oil imports fell year-on-year in June and July, ending a streak of five months of accumulated year-on-year growth. After the first seven months of 2021, China’s crude oil imports are down 5.7% compared with the same period last year. January to July imports stood at 301.9m tons, an 18.1m tons decline from January to July 2020.The June and July decline in crude oil imports is not attributable to unusually low imports as much as…

China's Crude Oil Imports Rebound

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China's crude oil imports rebounded in July from a six-month low as state-backed refiners ramped up output after returning from maintenance, though independent refineries slowed restocking amid probes by Beijing into trading and taxes.China brought in 41.24 million tonnes of crude oil last month, equivalent to 9.71 million barrels per day (bpd), data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Saturday.That compares with 40.14 million tonnes in June and 51.29 million tonnes in July 2020.In the first seven months of the year, China, the worl

China Crude Processing Spikes to All-time High

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Chinese refinery crude oil throughput has reached its highest level ever, with total processed volumes up 12% in the first five months of this year compared to 2020, and up 10.9% from the same period in 2019. In total 292.7m tonnes have been processed so far this year according to the National Bureau of Statistics China.Despite the 12.0% growth in crude oil processing, Chinese crude oil supply, which includes imports and domestic production, has only grown by 2.3% in the first five months of this year.

Venezuelan Oil Exports Rise on Larger Sales to Asia

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Venezuela’s oil exports rose in February to over 700,000 barrels per day (bpd), their highest level in 10 months, pushed by more sales of fuel oil cargoes to new clients in Asian markets, according to Refinitiv Eikon’s tanker tracking data and documents.A growing number of clients with no track record in oil trading has been helping Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA to allocate crude and fuel in Asia, especially since the U.S. Treasury Department…

Global Crude Market Finds Support From China Demand

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China, the global oil market's lifeline this year, has stepped up purchases from exporters like Russia, the United States and Angola in recent weeks, while buyers elsewhere pare orders as coronavirus infections surge and fresh lockdowns are put in place.China, the world's largest importer of crude, is the only major buyer expected to see increased oil demand this year as the pandemic destroyed consumption globally.With China's imports expected to reach 12 million barrels per day (bpd) next year…

China's INE Considers Singapore for Marine Fuel Futures Delivery

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The Shanghai International Energy Exchange (INE) is considering using oil storage sites in Singapore owned by PetroChina Co as a delivery point for its low-sulphur fuel oil futures contract, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.The INE’s move would be the first time a Chinese futures contract would be deliverable outside of China and could boost liquidity for the contract, as well as help to influence pricing for shipping…