China's Crude Oil Imports from Saudi Up 8.8% in March

A compressing station run by Sinopec is seen at Fuling shale gas field in Chongqing, China December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Chen Aizhu/File Photo
A compressing station run by Sinopec is seen at Fuling shale gas field in Chongqing, China December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Chen Aizhu/File Photo
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China's Crude Oil Imports from Saudi Up 8.8% in March

A compressing station run by Sinopec is seen at Fuling shale gas field in Chongqing, China December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Chen Aizhu/File Photo
A compressing station run by Sinopec is seen at Fuling shale gas field in Chongqing, China December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Chen Aizhu/File Photo

China's crude oil imports from top supplier Saudi Arabia rose 8.8% in March from a year earlier, driven by strong demand and as shipments delayed due to a port congestion finally arrived.

Imports from the United Arab Emirates also rose again, up 86%.

Shipments from Saudi Arabia were 7.84 million tons, equivalent to 1.85 million barrels per day (bpd), data issued by China's General Administration of Customs showed on Tuesday, versus 1.7 million bpd a year earlier. The imports, however, slowed from 1.94 million bpd in February.

Saudi Arabia retained its position as China's biggest crude oil supplier for a seventh consecutive month.

Ports at China's oil refining hub Shandong experienced congestion for a few weeks in February, slowing oil arrivals.

Analysts from Refinitiv expect arrivals from Saudi Arabia to further drop in April given a voluntary supply cut of 1 million bpd by the producer and increasing prices of Arab light crude for the Asian market.

The customs data also showed that crude oil supplies from Kuwait increased to 0.6 million bpd, up 29% from a year earlier.

China's imports from the UAE were at 0.71 million bpd last month, up 86% on year. Shipments from Oman rose 60% from a year ago to 0.86 million bpd.

Meanwhile, China's Sinopec has won a deal to develop Iraq's Mansuriya gas field near the Iranian border, the oil ministry said on Tuesday.

Last year Iraq cancelled a contract signed with a group led by the Turkish Petroleum Corp (TPAO) to develop the Mansuriya field and decided to invite international energy companies to compete to develop it.

Iraq’s state-run Midland Oil Company will partner Sinopec in development of the Mansuriya field, the statement said.

Under the 25-year contract, Sinopec will hold a 49 percent stake and Midland Oil Company will hold 51 percent, the statement added.

Sinopec will help Iraq to capture and process natural gas from the field and boost output to 300 million cubic feet of gas per day (mcf/d) as a targeted production level, the statement quoted Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar as saying.

No timeline was provided.

Iraq is planning to sign contracts with foreign energy companies to develop its gas fields and build gas facilities in southern Iraq and Anbar province, the ministry cited Jabbar as saying.

Gas captured from the field will be used to feed power stations in Baghdad and Diyala province near the border with Iran.



China Seeks to Bolster Ports and Aviation Hubs in Western Regions

The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022.  (Reuters)
The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022. (Reuters)
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China Seeks to Bolster Ports and Aviation Hubs in Western Regions

The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022.  (Reuters)
The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022. (Reuters)

China said on Sunday it would launch 15 measures to bolster the development of its western provinces with the construction of logistical infrastructure such as ports and aviation hubs.

The General Administration of Customs said the measures would enhance the integration of rail, air, river and sea links in China's west, state media reported.

The measures are to include enhancing international aviation hubs in cities including Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Xi'an and Urumqi, while developing comprehensive bonded zones, and integrating these with ports and other transport links.

A number of ports would also be built and expanded.

China has long sought to bolster the economic heft of its western regions, which have markedly lagged coastal provinces.

China's western regions comprise around two-thirds of the country's land area and include regions such as Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Xinjiang and Tibet.

China's Politburo last year called for a "new urbanization" of western China to revitalize rural areas, expand poverty alleviation efforts and strengthen energy resources. Efforts have also been made to increase linkages to Europe and South Asia through trade corridors including rail freight routes.