Chinese imports of US LNG have fallen dramatically this year
Letter from China: Geopolitics injects uncertainty into US LNG take
China has drastically cut its imports of US LNG this year, but Chinese buyers are still signing up for more volumes
The US and China have always had a complicated relationship when it comes to LNG. But China’s interest in US volumes has seesawed more than ever this year amid the backdrop of geopolitical tension in Asia-Pacific and Europe’s energy crisis. LNG became caught in the crossfire of the US-China trade war in 2018-19, when Beijing imposed a 25pc tariff on US imports that effectively halted shipments. But the fuel then emerged as a rare point of bilateral cooperation in 2021, with Chinese buyers signing a flurry of long-term SPAs with US exporters. Chinese imports of US LNG have fallen dramatically this year, however, confounding predictions of a continuation of last year’s robust flows and procure
Also in this section
15 May 2025
Financial problems, lack of exploration success and political dogma cause uncertainty across much of the region
14 May 2025
The invisible hand of the market has seen increasing transparency but much more needs to be done to build a better understanding
13 May 2025
A fall in Venezuelan output drives overall production lower, as Saudi Arabia starts to slowly bring more crude to the market
12 May 2025
With the gas industry’s staunchest advocates and opponents taking brutal blows, the sector looks like treading a path of insipid indifference
