Iraqi oil exports to China: 5th in March, 3rd in 2021s first quarter

Shafaq News/ China's crude oil imports from Iraq in March 2021 slipped by 35% compared to March 2020 but remained third among top suppliers behind KSA and Russia in 2021's first quarter, China's General Administration of Customs showed on Tuesday.

The Chinese General Administration of Customs data showed that Iraqi exports dropped in March by 35.3% to 3,619,676 million tons, equivalent to 25,337,000 barrels, 844 thousand barrels per day.

Iraq ranked fifth after Saudi Arabia, Russia, Brazil, and Oman during the same period.

Iraq ranked third after Saudi Arabia and Russia in total oil exports to China during the past three months, from January to March, with 13,672,443 million tons, equivalent to 95,707,101 barrels.

China's crude oil imports from top supplier Saudi Arabia rose 8.8% in March from a year earlier. Shipments from Saudi Arabia were 7.84 million tonnes, equivalent to 1.85 million barrels per day. That was higher than 1.7 million bpd a year earlier, but below imports of 1.94 million bpd in February. Saudi Arabia retained its position as China's biggest crude oil supplier for a seventh consecutive month.

China's top ten oil suppliers in March were KSA, Russia, Brazil, Oman, Iraq, Angola, UAE, Kuwait, Malaysia, and US, in descending order.