China becomes US's biggest oil buyer as exports hit record

Washington

CHINA became the biggest buyer of US crude oil in February, surpassing Canada, at a time when Opec (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is cutting back output.

China imported 8.08 million barrels of US light crude, nearly quadrupling its January purchases, according to data released by the US Census Bureau on Tuesday. That helped boost US exports to a record 31.2 million barrels during the month. Canada, the US's largest trade partner, imported 6.84 million barrels, down 20 per cent from a month earlier.