US oil exports to China down 46% in 2025

US crude oil exports to China have nearly halved this year, as Beijing has shifted to other alternatives from Russia and Iran that are relatively cheaper than their counterparts due to sanctions.

According to data compiled by Kpler, Beijing received about 81.9 million barrels of US crude throughout the current year, down 46% from 150.6 million barrels last year.

As a result, Beijing became the sixth largest buyer of US crude, retreating from the second place secured last year.

This pullback came amid an increase in imported crudes from Iran, Russia and Venezuela, as China received 26% of its total seaborne shipments from these three countries, compared to about 24% last year. Still, Beijing gets 60% of its crude needs from the Middle East.

European purchases also helped reduce US exports to China, which has been the top destination for US crude for three years in a row since replacing Asia as the top buyer after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war.

The Netherlands remains the top buyer of US shipments, importing 194 million barrels in 2024, up 12% from last year. South Korea came in second place with purchases of 166 million barrels.