TOKYO, March 10 (KUNA) -- China's crude oil imports jumped 57.8 percent in February from a year earlier to 18.51 million tons, or 4.85 million barrels a day (bpd), according to data released by the Chinese government on Wednesday.
Imports also rose 8.2 percent from January's 17.11 million tons (4.05 million bpd), the General Administration of Customs said on its Website. In the first two months of this year, China imported 35.62 million tons (4.43 million bpd), up 45.8 percent from the same period of 2009.
The country's oil dependency reached alarming levels last year with imports accounting for 52 percent of the total consumption, the state-run China Daily reported in January, adding that imports of more than 50 percent are the globally recognized level of an energy security alert. China's crude oil imports are likely to go up by 9.1 percent this year to 212 million tons (4.26 million bpd), the daily has reported earlier. China, the world's second-biggest oil consumer after the US, first became a net oil importer in 1993. (end) mk.aff KUNA 101738 Mar 10NNNN