More refiners allowed to import oil

China's crude oil consumption last year was 475 million tons, up 4.7 percent year-on-year, according to CNPC.

China imported 269 million tons of crude in 2012, with a foreign dependency ratio of about 57 percent.

According to the CNPC Economic and Technology Research Institute, China will import about 289 million tons of crude oil this year, which means that about 59 percent of the nation's crude oil demand will depend on imports in 2013.

As the country's oil consumption increases, its dependency on imports will continue to rise.

When China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, it promised that the crude import quota of non-State trading organizations would grow 15 percent annually from 2006 to 2010.

So far, dozens of private companies have been granted crude oil and petroleum import certifications by the Ministry of Commerce.

However, up to 90 percent of the crude imports is still controlled by the two giants of the industry.

As for crude pipeline construction and oil storage facilities, the government is encouraging the participation of private capital.

According to an industry source, Tyloo Energy Co and Zhongji Chemical Co in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, acquired crude storage licenses from the Ministry of Commerce during the first half of the year.

The two companies are subsidiaries of Tyloo Investment Group, which is said to be planning an expansion of its involvement in international crude oil trading.