EnergyReader · 2026-06-19 11:40

China's April Crude Imports Fell 20% as Beijing Drained Unseen Stocks

By EnergyReader Newsroom · June 19, 2026

Chinese crude imports fell roughly 20% year-on-year in April (2026-04), their lowest in four years, with seaborne arrivals dropping to 8 million barrels per day, the weakest since 2022. That collapse forced state-owned refiners to cut runs to multiyear lows after the near-halt of shipments through Hormuz choked a vital crude channel, Bloomberg reported.

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