Follow CGSP on Social Media

Listen to the CGSP Podcast

China’s Imports of Iranian Oil Rise as U.S. Eyes Sanctions

by Cobus van Staden
Source: Kpler via Bloomberg News

China bought an average of 1.05 million barrels of Iranian oil per day for the first ten months of the year, as Iran’s output keeps growing. The data from the shipping tracker Vortexa shows that Chinese imports are the highest since 2018, when the U.S. imposed sanctions against Iran.

Now pressure is growing in Washington for stronger enforcement of the sanctions. Republican senators Jim Risch and Marco Rubio last week introduced a bill calling for closer scrutiny of China’s oil buys in order to tighten their enforcement.  

Lead the Conversation on China

Subscribe Today to Get Full Access to The China-Global South Project

Check Out Everything You'll Get With Your Subscription

The China-Global South Daily Brief delivered to your inbox at 6AM Washington time

Full access to exclusive news and analysis from editors based in the Global South

Transcripts of CGSP’s twice-weekly podcasts

Students and teachers with a valid .edu email address are eligible for a 50% discount off monthly or yearly subscriptions. Email us to receive a discount code.

You Might Like

Inside Details of China’s Oil Buys from Iran

Iran’s oil output has jumped by 80% to about 1 million barrels per day since President Ebrahim Raisi took power in 2021. China is one of the Islamic Republic’s largest oil buyers, despite ...

China Blocks Vietnamese Fruit Trucks From Entering One Day After Hanoi Upgrades Diplomatic Ties With Washington

Hundreds of Vietnamese trucks carrying fresh fruit are backing up at Chinese border crossings due to newly introduced inspection requirements. The timing of these new inspections is prompting speculation that it could be ...

Thai Land Bridge Project (Possibly) Gets Chinese Interest

Thai officials say the Chinese construction giant China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC) expressed interest in a project touted by the Thai government that would build double deep-sea ports in Chumphong and Ranong, linked by ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.