China is further diversifying sources to ensure sustainable supplies. The Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific are presently its three main suppliers of crude.

The gap between domestic consumption and production is the main cause for the increase in imports. Statistics showed that China's oil consumption experienced around 5 percent annual growth in recent years. However, the country's crude oil production only saw 2 percent increase year-on-year.

Last year China imported around 179 million tons of oil, and imports accounted for 51 percent of total crude oil demand.

China imported 11.6 million tons of crude oil, mostly via rail, from Russia in 2008, down 20 percent from a year earlier, Chinese customs data showed.

(China Daily July 17, 2009)