Latest official Chinese crude import stats for April show Russia again top for the 12th straight month with 2.253mn b/d. This marks the ninth straight month above 2mn b/d, a level that was only breached for the first time in February 2023. Indeed the consistent run of near-record figures mean that China’s imports from Russia are at a record 2.36mn b/d on a three month moving average basis (see chart).