China’s crude oil imports could drop by as much as 15 to 20 percent on the year in February, due to the coronavirus outbreak and the slump in domestic fuel demand, the Global Times reported on Thursday, citing a researcher at the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). The lower demand with all the travel restrictions to contain the outbreak could lead to Chinese imports dropping by up to 8 million tons (or around 200,000 bpd) this month compared to the same month last year, Wang Lining, deputy director of the Oil Market Research Department at CNPC’s Economics and Technology Research Institute told the Global Times. According to Refinitiv Oil Research, as cited by Reuters , crude oil imports in China are set to stand at 10.53 million bpd in February, down from imports of 10.69 million bpd in January—an expected drop of 160,000 bpd month on month. March is […]