CHINA DATA: Russian crude imports fall 9% on year to 1.6 mil b/d over Jan-Feb

China’s crude imports from Russia fell 9.1% year on year to 12.67 million mt, or 1.6 million b/d, over January-February, data from the General Administration of Customs showed March 20, as independent refineries slowed buying because of narrowing margin and utilization cap amid the Beijing Olympics. The decline in Russian crude inflows exceeded the 4.9% year-on-year reduction in China’s total…