China , which uses more oil than any country except the U.S., raised daily crude imports to a record in April as a new refinery and stockpiling bolstered demand. Overseas purchases increased to 27.88 million metric tons, according to data released today by the General Administration of Customs in Beijing. That’s about 6.81 million barrels a day, up from the previous record of 6.66 million in January. “China imported more crude probably to fill inventory and meet demand that will rebound in June following the maintenance season,” Amy Sun, an analyst with ICIS-C1 Energy, said by phone from Guangzhou today. Some of the overseas crude will go to refilling commercial inventories, Sun said. Stockpiles fell about 3 percent at the end of March from a month earlier, according to China Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals, published by the official Xinhua News Agency. Imports also rose as Sinochem Group ’s Quanzhou […]