China's September oil imports jump 27.9% high from a year earlier

China's crude oil imports jumped 27.9 % in September from a year earlier to a record high of 25.68 million tons, or 6.28 million barrels a day (bpd), latest government data showed. September imports also grew 19.8 % from August's 21.43 million tons (5.07 million bpd), the General Administration of Customs said on its Website. The figure surpassed the previous record of 6.18 million bpd logged in July. China, the world's second-biggest oil consumer after the US, imported 5.68 million bpd in the first nine months of the year, up 5.4 % from the same period of 2012. In August, the Washington-based Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicted China would surpass the US as the world's top oil importer by October, with its net crude imports may reach 6.45 million bpd, compared to an estimated 6.23 million for the US. The EIA also said China would hold that position through 2014 by importing 6.57 million bpd.