China Imports 20.9 Million Tons of Crude Oil in August  

China's crude oil imports were 20.9 million tons or 4.94 million barrels per day in August, up from the 19 million tons recorded in July or 18.47 million tons in the same month of last year, according to statistics released by the General Administration of Customs of China.

However, the August figure is significantly lower than June, when the country imported a record 22.27 million tons of crude oil.

In the first seven months of this year, the country imported 157.87 million tons of crude oil, 22.6% more than in the same period of last year due to the rising domestic demand.

Last month, China imported 2.56 million tons of refined oil while it exported 2.07 million tons, said the customs.