OREANDA-NEWS. March 19, 2013. China imported 20.78 million metric tons of crude oil in February, equivalent to 5.44 million barrels a day, preliminary data from the General Administration of Customs.

The imports were 12% lower from a year earlier, when 23.64 million tons were shipped in, and down around 17.4% from January's 25.15 million tons, according to Dow Jones Newswires' calculations.

Refined oil product imports totaled 3.38 million tons, while exports totaled 2.2 million tons, the data showed.

China exported 90,000 tons of crude oil in February, according to the preliminary data.