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Copper Tip Energy


China’s December Crude Imports From UAE, Brazil, Canada Hit Record Highs


These translations are done via Google Translate

FILE PHOTO: An oil tanker unloads crude oil at a crude oil terminal in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, China July 4, 2018. Picture taken July 4, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

  • China’s crude oil imports from top supplier Russia fell 0.7% year-on-year in December to 9.33 million metric tons, or 2.2 million barrels per day, but hit the highest level for 2025.
  • Imports from Malaysia, the largest trans-shipment hub for sanctioned Iranian oil, fell 37.9% to 4.14 million tons, or 0.97 million bpd.
  • Imports from Indonesia stood at 2.19 million tons, or 0.52 million bpd, last month, down 13% from 2.52 million tons in November. China imported around 0.1 million tons of crude from Indonesia for the whole of 2024.
  • Reuters previously reported that the surge in imports from Indonesia pointed to a way of masking shipments of sanctioned Iranian crude trans-shipped in waters off Malaysia.
  • Imports from the UAE surged 116.4% year-on-year in December to 6.1 million tons, or 1.44 million bpd, reaching the highest single-month import volume on record.
  • Imports from Brazil surged 109.6% to 5.4 million tons, or 1.27 million bpd, reaching a record high.
  • Imports from the United States have remained at zero since May 2025.
  • There were no reported imports from Iran or Venezuela in December.
  • Imports from Canada surged to 2.33 million tons, or 0.55 million bpd, in December, up 49% from November and 104.5% year-on-year, hitting a record high.

Below are details of imports from China’s biggest suppliers, with volumes in millions of metric tons. Country December December yr/yr pct

2025 2024 change Indonesia 2.19 0.00 – Iraq 5.85 4.72 24.0% Kuwait 1.65 1.48 11.3% Malaysia 4.14 6.66 -37.9% Oman 3.78 4.04 -6.3% Saudi 6.66 6.37 4.5% Arabia UAE 6.10 2.82 116.4% Angola 3.15 2.69 17.1% Russia 9.33 9.40 -0.7% Brazil 5.40 2.58 109.6% US 0.00 0.91 -100.0% Venezuela 0.00 0.29 -100.0% Iran 0.00 0.00 – Canada 2.33 1.14 104.5%


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Country December 2025 December 2024 YoY % Change
Indonesia 2.19 0.00
Iraq 5.85 4.72 24.0%
Kuwait 1.65 1.48 11.3%
Malaysia 4.14 6.66 -37.9%
Oman 3.78 4.04 -6.3%
Saudi Arabia 6.66 6.37 4.5%
UAE 6.10 2.82 116.4%
Angola 3.15 2.69 17.1%
Russia 9.33 9.40 -0.7%
Brazil 5.40 2.58 109.6%
US 0.00 0.91 -100.0%
Venezuela 0.00 0.29 -100.0%
Iran 0.00 0.00
Canada 2.33 1.14 104.5%

(1 metric ton = 7.3 barrels)

Reporting by Sam Li and Lewis Jackson in Beijing; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu

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