CHINA'S crude output rose to a record in October as processing by refiners held near an all-time high amid signs of an economic recovery in the world's second-biggest oil consumer.

The country produced 17.9 million tons of crude last month, the Beijing-based China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. That's up 2.8 percent from September and higher than the previous record of 17.8 million tons in January 2011. China processed 9.44 million barrels day of crude in October, near a record 9.47 million in September, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.