China Dec crude imports at 3.38 mln bpd - source

BEIJING Jan 12 (Reuters) - China's imported 14.37 million tonnes of crude oil in December, or 3.38 million barrels per day, a source familiar with the data said on Monday.

The rate would be 11.6 percent higher than a year earlier, and 4 percent higher than in November 2008 on a daily basis, according to a Reuters calculation.

The imports would bring China's annual imports to a record high of 178.89 million tonnes, or 3.58 million barrels per day, a rate 9.6 percent higher than a year earlier.

(Reporting by Eadie Chen; writing by Jim Bai, editing by Tom Miles)