The China-Russia oil pipeline transported 27.25 million tons of crude oil valued at 96.04 billion yuan in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 67.1 percent and 120 percent respectively, according to statistics from Harbin customs released on Jan 22.

The pipeline delivers oil from Russia's Far East to China through its northeastern provinces.

The 1,000-kilometer line originates in the Russian town of Skovorodino in the Amur region, enters China through Xing’an town, and ends in Daqing, Heilongjiang province. The section of the oil pipeline that runs through China is around 927.04 km, and the Russian section measures 72 km.

The designed annual transportation capacity of the oil pipeline is 15 million tons, and the maximum transportation capacity can reach 30 million tons. It opened on January 1, 2011.

The extended section of the China-Russia oil pipeline, which links Mohe and Linyuan county, Daqing in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, officially began commercial operations on Jan 1, 2018. It marked an increase in annual crude oil imports from Russia –– from 15 million tons to 30 million tons in 2018.

The pipeline has reduced costs and raised the efficiency of importing oil from Russia, which had previously relied on transportation through rail. It will also play an important role in protecting the security of China’s oil supplies.

China consumed about 560 million tons of crude oil in 2016, 65 percent of which was imported. According to the China National Petroleum Corporation, China's largest oil producer and supplier, both oil consumption and the proportion imported will continue to rise.

The China-Russia oil pipeline has become a vital part of China’s energy infrastructure.

To guarantee the quality of crude oil imported from Russia, the Heilongjiang Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau invested around 4 million yuan in establishing a national-level key laboratory to test its quality, which mainly tests for 13 indicators of crude oil, such as density, moisture, mechanical impurities and the chlorine salt content.

In addition, the Heilongjiang bureau has sped up research of crude oil detection and participated in setting national standards for crude oil, resulting in the revision of Russia’s standards for testing moisture in crude oil, standards that have existed for 50 years.

Harbin customs has also laid out more flexible customs clearance work procedures to improve efficiency. Services such as customs declaration in advance and all-day appointment customs clearance are provided.