# China cuts crude imports, balances Asia demand as Iran war tightens supply 2026-08-10T04:07:52+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet China has slashed its crude imports to offset the disruption from the Iran war, with arrivals in July at 8.41 million barrels per day (bpd), still 24.3% below last year but up from June's near-decade low of 7.12 million bpd, the Economic Times reports. The war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28, effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off about 20% of global crude flows. Asia's total July imports were 22.82 million bpd, down about 4 million bpd from the pre-conflict average, according to Kpler data. China's imports averaged 7.78 million bpd over June-July, 4.21 million bpd below the pre-war three-month average. Analysts estimate China's stockpiles at 1.2 billion barrels, allowing it to sustain lower imports, but the effect of August's mild recovery, with Middle East imports rising to 2.71 million bpd, remains key. ## Coverage - economictimes.indiatimes.com Tags: Asia, China, crude prices, Iran war, oil imports, Strait of Hormuz Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/china-cuts-crude-imports-to-ease-asias-iran-war-supply-shock/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/china-cuts-crude-imports-to-ease-asias-iran-war-supply-shock/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.