REUTERS/StringerSINGAPORE, Oct 24 (Reuters) - China's crude oil imports in September were 2% below their level a year earlier, data showed on Monday, as independent refiners curbed throughput amid thin margins and lacklustre demand. The world's largest crude importer brought in 40.24 million tonnes of crude oil last month, equivalent to about 9.79 million barrels per day (bpd). While state refineries have mostly returned from outages and planned maintenance, independent refiners, which make up about one-fifth of China's crude oil imports, have continued to hold down production. However, the data showed that exports last month of refined fuel - including diesel, gasoline, aviation fuel and marine fuel oil - soared 36% from a year earlier to 5.64 million tonnes. Year-to-date exports were down 27.6% at 35.45 million tonnes, as a result of Beijing's policy adopted in late 2021 to limit fuel exports and excessive refinery processing.

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