Kuwait's crude oil exports to China almost flat at 173,000 per barrel

Kuwait's crude oil exports to China in September stood at 708,000 tons, equivalent to around 173,000 barrels per day (bpd), almost unchanged from a year earlier, latest government data showed. In the first nine months of the year, Kuwait's crude oil exports to China recorded 186,000 bpd, according to the General Administration of Customs. China's overall imports of crude oil in September jumped 27.9 percent from a year earlier to a record high of 6.28 million bpd. Saudi Arabia remained China's top supplier, with its shipments jumping 20.2 percent on the year to 1. 19 million bpd, followed by Angola with 972,000 bpd, up 8.2 percent. Iraq became third, with imports from the country surging 179.1 percent to 556,000 bpd. Oman ranked fourth and Iran fifth, respectively. In an exclusive interview with Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) during her visit to Seoul last month, Nawal Al-Fezai, Assistant Undersecretary for Economic Affairs at the Oil Ministry and Kuwait's OPEC Governor, said Kuwait will continue considering China and India as its high growth strategic markets. "China's economy is growing and there is increasing demand in all kinds of energy, especially oil, and Kuwait is looking for fulfilling this requirement. Oil trade with China is becoming more important for Kuwait," Al-Fezai said. According to Al-Fezai, Kuwait is exporting crude oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other petroleum products to China and India. "We'd like to continue to provide these products to the two countries and any regions where we see their economy is growing," she added. The official was in the South Korean capital to accompany Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Oil Mustafa Al-Shimali in the regional ministerial energy conference.