China crude imports fall 13.8% on year

China's crude oil imports fell 13.8 percent in October from a year earlier to a 13-month low of 20.41 million tons, or 4.83 million barrels a day (bpd), latest government data showed. Imports also plunged 20.5 percent from a record 25.68 million tons (6.28 million bpd) in September, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs. In the first 10 months of this year, crude oil imports gained 3.4 percent from the same period in 2012 to 5.59 million bpd. China surpassed the US as the world's biggest net oil importer in September, fueled by its steady growth in oil demand, the Energy Information Administration, the US Energy Department's statistical unit, said last month, adding that this trend to continue through 2014.