Imports of contraband whisky, clothes and mobile phones are multiplying in Argentina as smugglers take advantage of libertarian president Javier Milei’s efforts to strengthen the peso and open the economy.
China’s oil imports from Iran are collapsing:
China imported ~6.9 million barrels of crude oil per day in the first 20 days of September, near its lowest level in 10 years.
This is well below the ~10.5 million barrels per day China imported on average before the Iran War.
At the same time, Chinese imports of Iranian crude dropped to ~80,000 barrels per day, on track for the 2nd-lowest level in at least 10 years.
This is down -92% to -95% from the 1.0 to 1.5 million barrels per day imported before the war.
As a result, China has imported ~600 million fewer barrels of seaborne oil this year than it would have if it had maintained 2025 import levels.
China is also partially replacing Iranian crude with oil from Iraq, the UAE, Brazil, and Canada.
Iranian oil is disappearing from China’s import mix.
Chinese soybean imports from Brazil have slowed to a trickle as high prices squeeze crushing margins, raising the risk of a supply crunch in the world’s biggest consumer.
Asia's imports of crude oil rose to the highest in September since the Iran war started, but remain below pre-conflict levels, writes ROI's @ClydeCommods