GreenergyDaily

Jun. 6, 2025

China, the world’s largest oil importer, avoided buying American crude for a second straight month as the nation’s trade dispute with the US continues to unsettle markets.

Dragged down by the absence of Chinese purchases, US oil exports slid to the lowest this year in April, according to US Census data. In the same month a year earlier, China bought 297,000 barrels a day from the US and three times that amount in 2023, the data shows. March and April mark the first time since the pandemic that Chinese refiners skipped buying from the US for two straight months.

The strain in relations between the world’s two largest economies comes as Chinese oil demand is faltering amid economic weakness and the adoption of electric vehicles. Tensions are running high as each side accuses the other of breaching a trade truce that had previously eased steep tariffs.

As Chinese refiners back away from US oil, American exports fell to 3.883 million barrels a day in April, down 4% compared with the previous month.