China's June oil imports down 10.3%

China's crude oil imports rose 10.3 percent in June from a year earlier to 21.72 million tons, or 5.31 million barrels a day (bpd), government data showed Tuesday. However, June imports shrank by 14.8 percent from a record high of 25.48 million tons (6.03 million bpd) in May, the General Administration of Customs said on its Website. In the first half of this year, China imported 5.64 million bpd, up 11.0 percent from the same period of last year. The import-dependency rate of China, the world's second-biggest energy importer after the US, stood at 56.7 percent in 2011, up from 54.8 percent in 2010, the Ministry of Land and Resources said in May. Oil consumption climbed 2.5 percent year-on-year to 8.94 million bpd in 2011, while crude oil output inched up 0.5 percent to 4.10 million bpd, according to the ministry. Financial input for prospecting oil and natural gas rose 6.9 percent in 2011 from a year earlier.