Beijing has reduced crude purchases by about a quarter from prewar levels, helping keep benchmarks near $100 a barrel after more than 60 days of Persian Gulf conflict.
The drop has unexpectedly freed up supplies for other buyers as the market also leans on pipeline rerouting, emergency stock releases and demand destruction from high prices.
How China achieved the import swing remains unclear, leaving uncertainty over whether this support for global oil balances can last if the Iran war continues.
Is China's massive oil import cut a stabilizing gift or a calculated move in a new global energy war?
As China's EV boom curbs oil demand, will its security goals derail its own green energy revolution?