Russia supplied a record amount of crude oil to China in September, surpassing Saudi Arabia for the second time as the top seller to the Asian giant, customs data showed, boosted by demand from independent refiners.

The US is poised to sail warships close to China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea as a signal to Beijing that Washington does not recognise Chinese territorial claims over the area.

Over the past 25 years, China has attempted to develop its substantial CBM resources, estimated by China's Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) at more than 1,000 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). Currently, there are more than 20,000 wells producing a total of 0.36 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of CBM in China. However, CBM well productivity in China is significantly lower than in countries such as Australia and the United States. CBM development in China has focused on the Ordos and Qinshui Basins of Shanxi Province. Although these two basins are considered to have China's best geologic conditions, they still face significant geologic challenges (low permeability, under-saturation) that reduce well productivity.

Price adjustments in the gas markets caused by a drop in oil quotations hadn’t affected the dominant position of Asia-Pacific as a driver of growing global gas consumption. Following the expert reviews, by 2025 the region’s demand for imported gas might grow 1.5 times from present 280 billion cubic meters to over 400 billion cubic meters a year.

China’s $40 billion Silk Road Fund said it would finance part of the project, a development Total CEO Patrick Pouyanné called “a clear commitment by China” in an interview Wednesday. The price paid for Silk Road’s 9.9% stake in Yamal wasn’t disclosed.

A derivatives contract would give the Shanghai International Energy Exchange, known as INE, a slice of an oil futures market worth trillions of dollars, offering a rival to London's Brent and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI).

Saudi Aramco, the kingdom's state oil giant, is talking to banks about raising a $5 billion loan related to a refinery it built in collaboration with China's Sinopec.

Russia and China continue walking hand in hand toward stronger energy cooperation, with several Russian companies - Gazprom, Rosneft and Novatek - signing documents with Chinese partners over the last hours.

Buying crude oil from Russia allows China to ensure security of supply as cooperation between the two countries is likely "to gain new momentum," China National Petroleum Corp. Chairman Wang Yilin said Friday.

China, the world's second-biggest oil consumer, has already begun to loosen its grip on the physical oil sector this year by granting quotas for imported crude to privately-owned refiners for the first time, surprising market participants with the speed of reform.