China is the world's largest importer of crude
Oil market poised for China showdown
China puts the strategic in SPR as it looks to utilise record oil storage
“China’s oil storage model is based on the strategic reserves around the world,” said tank storage expert Tony Quinn at the annual PGLC petrochemicals logistics event in Marseille in June. “Like with most things, China copies from elsewhere and then does it better, and that is exactly the case with strategic petroleum reserves, as the country’s facilities are enormous and the terminals’ spare capacity is vast,” pointed out the CEO of Tankbank International and operating partner of Prostar Capital, who has close business ties with China’s state-controlled oil giant Sinopec. China may have arrived late to the oil security game, but in the past 20 years it has created significant capacity and a
Also in this section
16 April 2026
Demand for oil is falling because supply cannot meet it, not because it is no longer required
16 April 2026
The continent has an immediate opportunity to make the most of its energy resources by capturing gas that is currently slipping away
15 April 2026
The continent is seeing political pushback to climate plans, corporate reassessment of transition goals and rising supply risk in a fractured global order
15 April 2026
The Middle East energy crisis may turn out to be pivotal to the industry’s long-term expansion, but significant challenges still stand in its way
