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China Becomes Top Destination for Russian Crude Amid Falling Indian Imports
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![Photo of Liubava Petriv]( "Photo of Liubava Petriv")
Russian crude oil shipments to China have surged, after US tariffs on India restricted flows to the South Asian nation, Bloomberg reports on September 2.
Exports to India have fallen, averaging under 1.3 million barrels per day in the four weeks ending August 31—around 30% below the March peak. Even if all unassigned tankers were redirected to India, shipments would still decline by roughly 550,000 barrels per day, or 28% from the March high.
At the same time, deliveries to China reached a five-month high of 1.28 million barrels per day. Overall, Russia’s seaborne crude exports climbed to a seven-week high of 3.49 million barrels per day in late August, raising the four-week average to 3.15 million barrels per day, according to Bloomberg tanker-tracking data.
The increase followed the resumption of shipments from the Sakhalin-2 project in the Far East after a month-long pause, likely for maintenance. In western Russia, partial recovery at the Ust-Luga terminal—damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack—also contributed, with some flows rerouted to the nearby port of Primorsk.
Analysts say the shift in flows reflects the immediate impact of US tariffs on Indian goods, which disrupted trade routes and prompted buyers such as China to secure more discounted volumes.
On September 2, Chinese President Xi Jinping met Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Beijing, where the two sides addressed growing bilateral trade alongside disputes over tariffs, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Putin described deepening cooperation with China as “a foreign policy priority” and identified energy, transport, and defense as key areas for collaboration.
Earlier, it was reported that the 50% tariffs imposed by the US on India, along with European Union sanctions on India’s Rosneft refinery, have unintentionally increased the discount on Russian oil, making it even cheaper for largest buyers of Russian oil, including China, which has started intercepting some of India’s supplies.
