While local oil production remained steady at 13.3 million barrels per day, net crude oil imports fell by about 388,000 barrels, averaging 2.68 million barrels per day. On the other hand, crude exports jumped to 4.2 million barrels per day.
This downturn is largely attributed to the growing concerns over the demand in China, with investors remaining cautious in the wake of the People's Bank of China's unexpected 10-basis point interest rate cut earlier this week. The market's disappointment was further fueled by the Third Plenum's failure to introduce significant support policies.