HARBIN, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- China imported 23.37 million tonnes of crude oil from Russia through the China-Russia oil pipeline in the first ten months of 2018, up 71.35 percent year on year, authorities said Monday.

According to Harbin customs, the main impetus behind the increase is the second line for the China-Russia oil pipeline that began commercial operation in January, raising China's annual import capacity of Russian crude oil through the pipeline from 15 million to 30 million tonnes.

The second line starts from Mohe, which borders Russia, to the city of Daqing in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, passing north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The first line was put into use on Jan. 1, 2011, with an annual capacity of 15 million tonnes, starting from the Russian city of Skovorodino to Daqing.

The China-Russian oil pipeline has reduced costs and raised the efficiency of China's oil imports from Russia, which had previously relied on rail transport.