Russia’s oil exports to China continued at a high level in July—1.68 million barrels per day, a 7.6% increase over the level of a year ago, according to China’s General Administration of Customs—which means that China continues to be the largest purchaser of Russian oil.
However, the story of soaring Russian coal exports to China is even more dramatic, reaching a five-year high in July, according to official Chinese statistics. China purchased 7.42 million tons of Russian coal last month, which is the highest level since comparable statistics began in 2017. It was up from 6.12 million tons in June and 6.49 million tons in July 2021—a 15% year-on-year jump.
