Before the Iran War began, China had stored more oil than any other country, according to a report released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
China added an average of 1.1 million barrels per day of crude oil to strategic oil inventories in 2025, which reached nearly 1.4 billion barrels as of December 2025.
Prior to the Iran War, preliminary government data indicate that China has continued building inventories in 2026, according to the EIA.
China's 1.4 billion barrels compares to the U.S. which has 409 million barrels, allowing the country to avoid the panic other countries face with the shutting of the Strait of Hormuz.
China does not report data on its oil inventories, so EIA said it estimated its inventories based on imports, exports, refining and oil inventory data from third-party and official sources.
The country owns over 70% of global solar, wind, battery and electric vehicle supply chains, Axios reported.
According to a February paper from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, China spent 2025 stockpiling oil due to relatively low oil prices, rising geopolitical risks, possible sanctions on suppliers like Russia, Venezuela and Iran and a new law that required companies to have oil energy reserves.
Last month, the U.S. along with other members of the International Energy Agency agreed to a coordinated emergency release of strategic oil stocks after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S.' oil reserve can hold up to 714 million barrels but was depleted in March 2022 after President Joe Biden released 180 million barrels in response to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Biden had previously released 50 million barrels in November 2021, citing high gasoline prices.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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