China’s Russian Windfall
Largest oil buyer doubles down on Russian energy
China has taken advantage of the big discount on Russian energy, scooping up more oil, gas and other products as the EU and other countries shun Moscow’s exports, and cementing the relationship between the world’s biggest energy importer and its biggest energy exporter.
China’s purchases of Russian crude were up 17% in the second quarter from the year-ago period; it boosted liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchases by 50% and coal by 6%, while its electricity imports from Russia are up 39%. The Russians are also transacting more in Chinese yuan as they try to shift from the dollar-denominated commodities market, Muyu Xu and Emily Chow report.
Going forward, Russia may have to depend even more on China - as well as India and a few other buyers, which may come up this week at a summit among those nations in Uzbekistan. An outright European ban on buying Russian crude will commence in December, as well as measures that could make it harder for Moscow to ship goods worldwide, leaving them dependent on vessels they, China and a few others operate.
“It is apparent that Russia can no longer rely on its major energy export markets in Europe for the foreseeable future, and the redirection of its energy and commodity exports towards the East will gather pace," Tilak Doshi, managing director of Doshi Consulting, said.
Reuters’ Clyde Russell notes, however, that Asian demand still looks lackluster, citing Refinitiv data that shows China is expected to import about 9.15 million barrels per day (bpd) in September, down from the official customs figure of 9.5 million bpd in August.