Shafaq News / The Chinese Customs Administration reported on Wednesday a surge in Iraq's oil exports to 32 independent Chinese refineries during November 2023.
As per statistics revealed by the Administration, Iraq's oil exports to Chinese refineries saw a 17.06% increase in November, reaching 8.35 thousand metric tons or approximately 6.95 million barrels, compared to October 2023, which stood at 710 thousand tons (5.183 million barrels), marking a 60.3% decrease from the same month in 2022 when oil exports to China reached 2.104 million tons (15.359 million barrels).
The report highlighted Iraq's rank as the fifth among the top ten oil-exporting countries to Chinese refineries. It indicated, "Iraq follows Malaysia, exporting 6.6 million tons, mainly sourced from Iranian barrels, Russia in second place with 3.011 million tons, Saudi Arabia in third with exports of 2.235 million tons, and subsequently the UAE in fourth place with 1.635 million tons."
Furthermore, it noted the US in sixth place with exports of 555 thousand tons, followed by Brazil in seventh with 404 thousand tons, Oman in eighth with exports totaling 266 thousand tons, while Angola ranked ninth with exports of 136 thousand tons.
Moreover, independent refinery imports declined by 12.2% on a monthly basis to 15.1 million metric tons, or 3.69 million barrels per day, marking the lowest level since 14.6 million tons, according to the Chinese Customs Administration.