The Patriot Post® · China Now Number One Crude Oil Importer

It’s official, at least for the time being: America no longer ranks as the world’s number one oil importer. That title now belongs to China, which defeated the odds despite languishing through a sluggish economy. “According to a report by the Financial Times, the world’s second-largest economy purchased 7.4 million barrels of crude oil a day in April, topping U.S. imports of 7.2 million barrels a day,” writes The International Business Times, adding, “The increased imports were in direct contrast with Chinese crude oil exports, which reportedly fell by 41 percent in April.” IBT notes that “a 60 percent drop in global oil prices between June 2014 and January 2015 … helped China increase its stockpiled oil.” But could another reason have to do with the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran? Amrita Sen with research consultancy Energy Aspects suggests “Iran may be offering more discounts on its oil as part of an effort to increase ties with Chinese oil companies.” With economic woes hitting the Asian nation particularly hard, how much of its imports are courtesy of backdoor deals with its friends in Tehran? It’s a question worth asking given what’s at stake. The rankings may fluctuate for the foreseeable future, but the U.S. will probably relinquish its title for good sometime soon. On a related note, just six months ago Barack Obama was boasting about striking a major climate deal with the Communist nation. The phony deal stipulates that China will begin to decrease emissions by 2030. Don’t hold your breath. In the meantime, it has no problem owning all the “dirty” records.