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Saudi Arabia’s crude oil shipments to its biggest customer, China, are expected to drop to their lowest level in more than a year in April, trade sources said on Thursday, partly due to maintenance programmes at Chinese refineries owned by Sinopec.<\/p>\n The OPEC producer allocated 34 million barrels of Saudi oil in April to its Chinese customers, down from 41 million barrels in the previous month, Reuters data showed.<\/p>\n The drop in China’s demand for Saudi oil comes despite the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, a group known as OPEC+, agreeing to proceed with their plan to raise production<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n Sinopec\u00a0600028.SSplans to shut<\/a> at least 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude processing capacity from mid-March through May at subsidiaries including the Yangzi, Jiujiang and Gaoqiao refineries, according to data compiled by Reuters based on industry and trade sources.<\/p>\n Saudi Aramco and Sinopec did not immediately respond to requests for comments.<\/p>\n Crude oil markets in Asia are also stabilising after U.S. sanctions on Russia and Iranian oil disrupted trade in late 2024 and early 2025.\u00a0CRU\/M<\/p>\n
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\n March 13, 2025<\/span>
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\n Saudi Arabian crude oil shipments to China are expected to drop to their lowest level in more than a year in April. Credit: Adobe Stock\/Love You Stock
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