Chinese crude oil purchases from the United States jumped by 77.3 percent from September to average 208,000 bpd in October, helping the U.S. to become China’s ninth largest crude oil supplier, according to data by China’s General Administration of Customs. The U.S. had not exported crude oil to China in October last year. This year, China has been a consistent buyer of U.S. oil, and it even outranked Canada as America’s biggest buyer in April, according to the latest available monthly EIA data through August. According to an S&P Global Platts survey, the increased U.S. oil exports to China in October were likely the result of more purchases from state-held oil refiners, because imports by independent refiners—the so-called teapots—dropped by 42 percent compared to September. Sinopec’s international trading arm Unipec was actively offered U.S. oil, and the Sinopec Qilu refinery received its first U.S. crude oil cargo—a Mars crude […]