Letter from China: LNG deals show pragmatism in US-China ties
A US LNG project developer has signed the first long-term supply contracts with a Chinese buyer in nearly four years
Recent long-term LNG deals between the US and China suggest that the two rivals can still cooperate if interests align. Venture Global LNG—developer of the 10mn t/yr Calcasieu Pass and 20mn t/yr Plaquemines export facilities in Louisiana—signed two sales-and-purchase agreements (SPAs) with China’s state-controlled Sinopec, according to a letter the American company filed with the US Department of Energy at the start of October. The 20-year deals, one for 2.8mn t/yr and the other for 1.2mn t/yr, are by far the largest contracts by volume for US LNG agreed to by a single Chinese entity. Venture Global also signed a three-year deal to supply 1mn t/yr to Unipec, the trading arm of Sinopec, from
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution






