Decelerating economy single largest risk to Chinese oil sector Trade war, IMO2020 and refining overcapacity also major issues Oil demand growth slows to 3.4% in 2019 versus 4.6% in 2018: Platts Analytics Singapore — China’s oil market in 2019 will be shaped by uncertainties arising from a slowing economy, the US-China trade spat, refining overcapacity, readiness (or lack of) for IMO 2020 and fuel price deregulation, according to analysts and market participants. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now The overarching theme for the world’s second-largest oil consumer and largest oil importer is its economic deceleration that threatens to reverberate through the global oil market, which it has propped up precariously for years. This year started out on a strong note, with China’s crude oil imports for 2018 posting a 10.1% growth and imports for December at 10.35 million b/d, the second time […]