You can only pump so much Sh#t through a goose (so to speak).
Meaning that the pipelines do not satisfy their required needs.
There also may be Chinese refineries that are not hooked up to pipelines from Russia. That is because typically is was cheaper to buy crude by Supertanker delivery.
Almost all major refineries in the world are built where they can accept delivery by tanker vessel. This is why back during the beginning of Covid the futures price of WTI(West Texas Intermediate Crude) literally sold for LESS THAN ZERO.
That is because all the companies that have tanks to store the oil in Texas were full. They could not accept any more TRUCKLOAD Tanker deliveries.
That is because the refineries are set up to get oil delivered by pipeline or Supertanker. Other forms of oil delivery MAY get discounted in price.
This is the goal of the Trump administration. Force China and India to lower their Russian oil purchases by putting tariffs on their exports to the USA. The lower price FOB/barrel in Russia means Vlad’s revenues are down.
China and India are the main purchasing countries of Russian
oil since the Ukraine war embargoes. These two countries are already buying Russian oil at a large discount to the spot price. This makes the price even lower.
It is all being done to put pressure on Vlad to end the war.
Russia exports crude oil to China primarily through two main pipeline routes: the Eastern Siberia–Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline and the Atasu-Alashankou pipeline. The ESPO pipeline, spanning 4,857 km from Taishet in eastern Siberia to the Pacific terminal at Kozmino, is the key route for Russian oil to reach mainland China, Japan, and South Korea.
Since the pipelined oil arrives at an ocean terminal, as you noted there will be refineries nearby, so distance from pipeline to refinery is not a factor.
The second pipeline is from Khazakstan to China but is contracted to add and blend 200K bpd from Russia. It also goes to a refinery complex.
So, no. The pipeline flow remains.
As to revenue loss, it’s about barrels more than money because Russia (and China, and India) have their own central banks that can create infinite money.
See reply 9. You force the sh#t through.
It is all being done to put pressure on Vlad to end the war.
I get that, but this is just a stopgap measure with no real outcome predictably if it can be circumvented.