Table of Contents
China oil import data: What's worth noticing in 2026?
- Kazakhstan is the largest recorded origin for China oil import by country in 2026 at US$72.60 billion, holding a 90.21% share of recorded HS 2709 crude value and standing far ahead of every other source.
- Angola is the only other origin above the billion-dollar mark at US$6.00 billion, while the United States, Argentina, and Niger fill out the upper ranks at much smaller values.
- Recorded crude value nearly doubled between halves, rising from US$1.55 billion in H1 2025 to US$2.15 billion in H1 2026, a 38.88% increase across the two comparable periods.
- Away from the recorded origins, China's headline seaborne crude imports fell to 8.1 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, down 32% from the first quarter, after Strait of Hormuz disruption lifted prices, based on China General Administration of Customs figures compiled by the EIA.
Where does China import oil from? China oil import by country 2026
From on TradeInt's China crude oil import data in H1 2026, China imports oil mainly from Kazakhstan at US$72.60 billion, Angola at US$6.00 billion, and the United States at US$0.96 billion under HS 2709. Next on the China import oil by country list is Argentina, Niger, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, and Malaysia.
Top 5 China oil import origins in H1 2026:
- Kazakhstan (HS 2709) - US$72.60 billion: the dominant recorded origin, supplied through ЧКОО КМГ КАШАГАН Б В.
- Angola (HS 2709) - US$6.00 billion: the leading African origin, supplied through Sonangol.
- United States (HS 2709) - US$0.96 billion: a rising non-Gulf origin, supplied through Aramco Trading Americas LLC.
- Argentina (HS 2709) - US$0.62 billion: a smaller South American origin under ExxonMobil Exploration.
- Niger (HS 2709) - US$0.09 billion: an emerging African origin routed to PetroChina.
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🛢️ China Historical Crude Oil Records on TradeInt
Search China's crude imports by 6-digit HS line, origin, and transaction date to see the shipments behind each country's total.
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Top 1: Kazakhstan - Largest oil supplier to China
Kazakhstan holds its recorded lead because of infrastructure, not raw upstream size. Kazakh-origin crude reaches China mainly through the China-Kazakhstan pipeline, a route that also carries Russian transit oil, so recorded value clusters heavily under one corridor.
In 2024, the Atasu-Alashankou route carried 1.2 million tons of Kazakh oil plus 9.989 million tons of transit oil, on a design capacity of 20 million tons a year. The route therefore moves more than Kazakhstan's own barrels.
Because the corridor blends Kazakh and transit crude, Kazakhstan's weight in China's energy system runs larger than its production alone would suggest. The same pipeline network keeps Central Asian supply flowing to Chinese refiners even when Gulf seaborne routes tighten.
Here are some market highlights shaping the Kazakhstan corridor in 2026:
- Transit access was secured into 2027: The United States waiver for Russian oil transit through Kazakhstan now runs until March 19, 2027, keeping the combined flow intact. Pipeline continuity supports the recorded origin lead.
- Europe competes for the same barrels: Kazakhstan supplied 12.7% of the European Union's petroleum oil imports in 2025, making it a more important direct supplier to Europe than to China. Demand pull from two directions tightens available volume.
- The upstream base may widen: A reported onshore discovery on the Zhylyoi carbonate platform carries geological potential far above current output, though it remains unproven reserves. Any future development would lift Kazakhstan's upstream weight.
Top 2: Angola
Angola is China's leading recorded African crude origin in 2026, and its export relationship leans directly on Chinese refinery financing. Sonangol, the state supplier behind the recorded value, has turned to Beijing to fund domestic refining capacity.
Main China oil imports from Angola:
- HS 270900 - crude oil: US$6.00 billion (100.00% of the Angola line): supplied through Sonangol.
In early 2026, Sonangol sought a US$4.8 billion loan from Chinese lenders to finance the long-delayed Lobito refinery, a project meant to cut Angola's fuel-import dependence and preserve hard-currency reserves. The financing ties Luanda's energy plans closely to Chinese capital.
As a result, Angola's crude sales to China function as more than a spot trade. They sit inside a longer financing relationship, which gives the corridor a stability that raw price swings alone would not explain.
Three points worth noting about the Angola corridor:
- Refinery financing underpins the flow: The US$4.8 billion Lobito loan request keeps Angola reliant on Beijing for large-scale energy infrastructure funding. That dependence supports steady crude shipments toward China.
- Domestic refining is the goal: The refinery aims to reduce Angola's imported-fuel bill, which would reshape how much crude Luanda exports over time. Near-term export flows to China remain firm.
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🌍 Largest Crude Oil Producer in 2025 by TradeInt Trade Data Analysis
The United States led crude output in 2025 at about 13.58 million barrels per day, ahead of Russia at 9.87 million and Saudi Arabia at 9.51 million.
Read more: Who is the Largest Crude Oil Producer in 2025?
Top 3: United States
The United States is a rising recorded origin for China's crude in 2026, and the shift traces directly to Gulf supply disruption. As Middle East routes tightened, Chinese buyers turned toward non-Gulf barrels, including American crude.
In early 2026, tanker tracking indicated around 600,000 barrels per day of American crude scheduled for China, roughly 18 million barrels a month worth close to US$10 billion at prevailing prices. The flow gave Chinese refiners supply outside the contested Gulf routes.
Because US crude ships from the Gulf Coast rather than through the Strait of Hormuz, it offered a hedge against the disruption that cut Middle East volumes. That routing advantage is what lifted American barrels up China's recorded origin list.
How much oil does China import? H1 2025 vs H1 2026 data
Based on TradeInt's China crude oil import data, recorded crude value climbed from US$1.55 billion in H1 2025 to US$2.15 billion in H1 2026, a 38.88% increase across the two comparable halves. The recorded gain reflects higher crude procurement to meet domestic refining demand.
China's headline crude imports moved in the opposite direction to the recorded value, and the wider swing was driven by one event. In the second quarter of 2026, seaborne imports fell to 8.1 million barrels per day, 32% below the first quarter, after Strait of Hormuz disruption raised prices and cut Middle East flows, based on customs figures compiled by the EIA. In May and June, imports fell below 8.0 million barrels per day for the first time since 2016.
Meanwhile, the market began to turn in July 2026. Pipeline and seaborne flows rose to 35.73 million tons, up 22% from June, as Hormuz traffic picked up and refiners bought more non-Middle East crude, according to customs data reported by CNBC. That volume equalled about 8.45 million barrels per day, still well below the prior-year pace.
As a result, China moved back toward building reserves. In July 2026, the country added roughly 210,000 barrels per day to stocks as imports recovered and refinery runs stayed low. The return to stockpiling pointed to soft domestic demand rather than a supply squeeze.
Key observations on China's oil import trend in 2026:
- June marked the low point: China's seaborne crude fell to about 6.2 million barrels per day in June 2026, the weakest since November 2015. Middle East supply loss drove the trough.
- July staged a partial recovery: July imports of 8.45 million barrels per day rose 22% on the month but stayed 24% below a year earlier. The rebound came from a very low base.
- Reserves gave China room to wait: China held roughly 1.9 billion barrels of oil stocks by the end of 2025, near 117 days of import cover, letting it delay purchases for lower prices. Inventory depth shaped the buying pattern.
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🇨🇳 China Trade Data Statistics Overview
This country-level data hub by TradeInt covers China's past imports and exports across every HS chapter, with partner-country breakdowns and shipment-level detail.
Explore more: China global trade statistics overview by year and HS code
Who are China's biggest oil buyers? According to crude oil global trade data 2026
Based on TradeInt's China crude buyer records in H1 2026, the largest recorded oil buyers are Heston B V at a 44.99% share, PetroChina International Xibei Co Ltd at 44.98%, and S M at 0.77%. These three handle most of the recorded crude value.
Sonangol E P and Unipec U K Company Limited complete the top five recorded buyers for the period.
Top 5 China oil buyers in H1 2026:
- Heston B V (44.99%): a Dutch energy commodity trading enterprise managing international crude procurement and offshore logistics.
- PetroChina International Xibei Co Ltd (44.98%): the northwest regional trading arm of PetroChina coordinating large-scale crude imports and pipeline distribution.
- S M (0.77%): a commercial trading intermediary managing spot procurement and delivery of imported crude cargoes.
- Sonangol E P (0.67%): Angola's state-owned energy corporation managing international crude sales and Asian distribution.
- Unipec U K Company Limited (0.66%): the European trading arm of Sinopec directing global crude sourcing and supply contracts.
What do you use China oil import data for?
China oil import data lets analysts trace crude flows to the origin, supplier, and shipment level, then connect those flows to refinery demand, pricing, and supply-chain risk. TradeInt makes these records searchable across 10B+ shipment records and 470M+ verified business profiles, so users can move from a country total to the underlying consignments.
Common ways enterprises use this data include:
- Supplier and counterparty verification: Confirm the trading entity behind a crude origin, such as the state producer or trading arm named on the shipment line, before committing to a contract.
- Origin and route monitoring: Track how recorded crude shifts between pipeline-linked and seaborne origins as disruptions redraw supply routes.
- Buyer discovery: Identify the active importers handling China's crude cargoes, from regional trading arms to international commodity houses.
- Market sizing and trend tracking: Measure recorded value changes by origin and period to gauge where sourcing is concentrating or thinning.
Conclusion
China oil imports by country in 2026 concentrate on Kazakhstan at US$72.60 billion, Angola at US$6.00 billion, and the United States at US$0.96 billion in recorded crude value under HS 2709, with crude oil the single product line that carries the flows.
Because recorded value rose 38.88% between H1 2025 and H1 2026 even as headline seaborne imports fell through the second quarter, the picture splits by channel: pipeline-linked Central Asian supply held firm while Strait of Hormuz disruption cut Middle East seaborne barrels, before a partial July recovery and a return to stockpiling.
These records give trade, procurement, and strategy teams a shipment-level view that aggregate statistics cannot match. Request a platform demo with TradeInt to verify the full picture of the China trade market with import-export trade records.
