China's crude oil imports from Russia surged 13 percent from a year earlier in March to 10.81 million tons, government data showed Saturday, underscoring the close ties between the two nations amid Moscow's war in Ukraine.
The latest data suggest that the effects of economic sanctions imposed by Western democracies have been limited, as China has continued to buy crude oil and other natural resources from Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine since February 2022.
In value terms, China's crude oil imports from Russia were up 23 percent to $6.3 billion. The Asian power has not joined the United States and its allies in condemning Russia's aggression against its neighbor.
