Brazil has overtaken Saudi Arabia as China's second-largest crude oil supplier in the first nine months of 2026, according to Chinese customs data released on Tuesday (20) and compiled by Reuters. Over the period, China imported 44.29 million metric tons of crude from Brazil, compared with 43.12 million tons from Saudi Arabia.

In September alone, Chinese imports of Brazilian oil reached 5.15 million tons, equivalent to 1.25 million barrels per day (bpd), an 18% increase from the same month in 2025. Saudi shipments moved in the opposite direction, falling 62% year on year to 2.70 million tons, or 660,000 bpd.

Using Reuters' conversion of 7.3 barrels per metric ton of crude, Brazil shipped an average of roughly 1.18 million bpd to China from January through September, against about 1.15 million bpd from Saudi Arabia.

Russia still on top

Russia remains China's largest supplier, with 9.94 million tons sold in September, or 2.42 million bpd, up 20% from a year earlier but down 11% from August. Iraq follows with 4.84 million tons (1.18 million bpd), a 19% annual decline. Customs records showed no Chinese crude imports from the United States, Venezuela or Iran in September, the same pattern as a year before.

The figures show Chinese refiners raising the share of Brazilian oil in their buying mix while cutting shipments from the Middle East. Alongside the Saudi drop, imports from Oman fell 54% in September on an annual basis, and those from Malaysia fell 70%, according to the Reuters table.

For Brazilian producers, the new ranking cements China as a top-tier buyer of the country's output at a time of expanding supply. On the Chinese side, Brazil becomes the leading alternative source of crude outside Russia and the Persian Gulf, with growing volumes. The gap between Brazil and Saudi Arabia for the year so far, just over 1 million tons, remains narrow and could still reverse in the final months of 2026, depending on shipping schedules.