Rising Chinese LNG imports are no threat to Europe

China’s intake of the fuel rose by 12.6% in 2023 and will continue to increase this year, but this looks unlikely to cause trouble for Europe

China’s LNG imports are expected to grow again this year after last year’s increase helped the country once again surpass Japan as the world’s top LNG buyer, but a further rebound in Chinese inflows is unlikely to come at the expense of supply for other key import markets such as Europe. LNG deliveries to China in 2023 climbed by 12.6% year-on-year, to 71.32mt, surpassing Japan’s imports of 66.15mt, which declined by 8.1%, according to official customs data from each country. Although China’s LNG volumes remain below the all-time high set in 2021, due in part to cheaper alternatives, major LNG market players expect the nation to drive global demand growth for the next decade. China’s gas dem