China to Become Biggest Net Oil Importer by October, EIA Says -Bloomberg | Imports by the second-biggest oil-consuming country will reach 6.45 million barrels a day, surpassing the U.S.'s 6.23 million, the EIA, the Energy Department's statistical arm, said in this week's Short-Term Energy Outlook. On a yearly basis, China's overseas purchases will surpass the U.S.'s next year. "The imminent emergence of China as the world's largest net oil importer has been driven by steady growth in Chinese demand, increased oil production in the United States and a flat level of demand for oil in the U.S. market," the agency said today in a report on its website. China will use 11 million barrels a day of oil in October, the outlook showed. The U.S. will use 18.6 million....Net Chinese imports will be 6.57 million barrels a day next year, higher than the U.S.'s 5.71 million, EIA data showed.