Nearly 120 mln tonnes of crude oil piped from Kazakhstan to China

A transnational pipeline has sent 119 million tonnes of crude oil from Kazakhstan to China as of May, with a trade value totaling 443.8 billion yuan (64.2 billion U. S. dollars), local customs said Thursday.

Running more than 2,800 km from Atyrau in Kazakhstan via the Alataw Pass in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the PetroChina Dushanzi Petrochemical Company, the China-Kazakhstan pipeline has been operating smoothly since May 2006.

The pipeline helped diversify Kazakhstan's crude oil exports, ensured the crude oil supply for two major refineries in eastern Kazakhstan, and expanded China's crude oil import channels.

Under the Belt and Road Initiative, energy cooperation between the two countries has been strengthened.

China has imported 3.7 million tonnes of crude oil, worth 10.4 billion yuan during the first four months this year via the Alataw Pass.