CHINA'S crude oil imports jumped 25 percent last month from a year earlier as state refiners boosted production to meet higher demand in the southwestern regions affected by the May 12 earthquake.
Crude imports rose to 16.2 million metric tons in May, or about 3.8 million barrels a day, the Customs General Administration of China said on its Website. Last month's shipments were second only to the record 17.3 million tons imported in March, Bloomberg News said.
The deadly earthquake damaged power lines and hampered transportation of coal. China Petrochemical Corp and China National Petroleum Corp were running their plants at full capacity to cover supply shortfalls in Sichuan Province and meet additional demand.
Crude imports rose 13 percent to 75.97 million tons in the first five months, with the cost of shipments up 85 percent to US$52.4 billion. The oil import bill in May reached US$12 billion as international prices climbed. China exported 150,000 tons of crude in May and 950,000 tons in the five-month period.
China was a net coal importer in the first five months, according to customs figures released yesterday.