China May Crude Imports Leap as Demand Strengthens

(Reuters) – China’s imports of crude oil leapt 19 percent in May from a year earlier, customs data showed on Monday, returning to buoyant growth rates seen in the first quarter and adding to signs of strengthening demand.

In May alone, the world’s second-largest oil consumer received 12.39 million tonnes of oil, or 2.92 million barrels per day (bpd), the General Administration of Customs said on its Web site (www.customs.gov.cn).

Shipments for the first five months of 2006, weighed down by a slight fall in April, were up 18.0 percent from the same period last year at 61.55 million tonnes, or 2.98 million bpd.
Reuters