China's Feb crude oil imports up 14.3 pct

China imported 14.29 million tonnes (3.60 million barrels per day) of crude oil in February, customs data showed on Monday, up 14.3 percent on the 3.15 million bpd shipped in February 2007, which was one day shorter.

For the first two months of the year, imports climbed 9.5 percent to 28.23 million tonnes, the General Administration of Customs said in a statement posted on its Web site (www.customs.gov.cn).

Imports of refined oil products were 2.71 million tonnes in February and climbed 17.7 percent to 5.95 million tonnes in the first two months of the year.