China's oil imports surpassed exports by about 10 million metric tons in 1993, the first time in nearly 30 years that domestic production failed to meet demand.
Tokyo's Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper quoted Chinese customs officials as saying crude oil and petroleum products exports fell 13.9% last year to 23 million metric tons. Imports of crude oil and products jumped 72% to more than 33 million metric tons.
China's crude oil production was 143.8 million metric tons last year, up 1.2% from 1992.
Crude oil exports plunged to only 4 million metric tons last year from 10 million metric tons in 1992. At the same time, crude oil imports rose 37.6% in 1993 after a rise of 90% in 1992.
Petroleum products imports doubled last year to 17.39 million metric tons.
Nihon Keizai Shimbun said the imbalance stemmed from "blistering economic growth, particularly in the booming special economic areas on the coast near Hong Kong."
The supply situation was tightened by China's slow pace of oil field development.
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