May crude oil imports around 10.79 mln bpd, up 11.8 on yr
JanMay crude oil imports down 1.7 yryr
May refined oil product exports down 40 yryr
JanMay natural gas imports down 9.3 yryr

June 9 Reuters China39;s crude oil imports rose nearly 12 in May from a low base in a year earlier, although refiners were still battling high inventories with COVID19 lockdowns and a slowing economy weighing on fuel demand last month.

The world39;s top crude oil buyer imported 45.83 million tonnes last month, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Thursday, equivalent to 10.79 million barrels per day bpd. That compares to 10.5 million bpd in April and to a 2021 average of 10.3 million bpd.

JanuaryMay imports were down 1.7 versus the same period last year at 217 million tonnes, or about 10.49 million bpd.

Refinery runs last month clawed back after steep falls in March and April as some independent refiners lifted production or returned from plant maintenance, said traders and analysts.

Plant utilization at independent plants in Shandong province in eastern China rose to above 60 last week from rates below 50 in April, but several state refineries were still in turnarounds, according to Chinese commodities consultancy JLC.

Crude inventories, meanwhile, stood at the highest since July 2021, climbing weekonweek since endMarch to just over 920 million barrels, according to Vortexa Analytics, which tracks inventories of the country39;s aboveground storage farms….