Why did China cut its oil imports since war in Iran began?

WBUR

Published August 5, 2026 at 12:03 PM EDT

One reason there isn’t a severe global energy crisis is because China has significantly cut oil imports since the war in Iran began. How it’s done this and why is a bit of a mystery.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with Rory Johnston, oil market analyst and Commodity Context creator, about what’s going on with China and how long it might keep doing it.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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Why did China cut its oil imports since war in Iran began?

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