China’s crude imports in July surged 25% from a year earlier, as massive purchases made while prices collapsed in April arrived and as some shipments delayed at ports in June finally cleared customs. China, the world’s top crude oil importer, brought in 51.29 million tonnes of oil last month, equal to 12.08 million barrels per day (bpd), data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Friday. That is higher than the 9.66 million bpd imported in July 2019 but below a previous record of 12.94 million bpd set in June. China last month exported only 3.21 million tonnes of refined oil products, the lowest level since January 2017. Customs data also showed natural gas imports, both piped and liquefied natural gas (LNG), were 7.35 million tonnes in July, down 6.9% from a year earlier. Reuters