China has reduced oil imports from the United States

Alexey Belogoryev, Research and Development Director of the Institute for Energy and Finance commented to the Vedomosti newspaper on trends in oil and gas imports to China.

The trend towards reducing American oil supplies to China began at the end of 2023, Alexei Belogoryev says. In February 2025, after the start of the trade war between China and the United States, this trend intensified, he notes.

Chinese customs data show that in 2023, the share of American oil supplies in total oil imports to China was 2.5% in physical terms (14.3 million tons) and 3% in monetary terms ($9.1 billion). In 2024, the United States reduced oil exports to China to 9.6 million tons ($6.02 billion). As a result, the country's share decreased to 2% in physical and monetary terms.

China has a well-diversified structure of oil imports, growing domestic production and consumption that is close to stabilization, Belogoryev notes. There are enough oil sources in the world for China to do without imports from the United States, he says.

Belogoryev also believes that a possible further reduction in China's oil imports from the United States will not significantly affect the volume of Russian oil supplies to the country.