Chinese companies hope to continue purchases of Iranian oil

Beijing. May 18. Silkroadnews - According to informed sources, Saeed Khoshrou, the Director of International Affairs of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), met with Chinese buyers this week to ask them to maintain imports after the U.S. sanctions introduction, the Iranian Telegraph Agency (IrTAG) reports.
In Beijing, Khoshrou held separate meetings with top managers of the trading division of the Chinese oil giant Sinopec and the state oil trader Zhuhai Zhenrong Corp to discuss oil supplies and get guarantees from Chinese buyers, the Tehran Times newspaper reports.
During the meeting, Mr. Khoshrou conveyed the message of the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mr. Zarif, expressing the hope that China will maintain import levels, the informed source reported.
Chinese companies “shared the same hope to maintain purchases”, but for the time being they are still trying to assess the possible impact of the new sanctions.
China, the world’s largest purchaser of crude oil, imported an average of 655,000 barrels per day from Iran in the first quarter of this year, the Chinese customs reported, which exceeds a quarter of Iran’s total exports.