Chinese LNG faces headwinds

Huge expansion in imports masks challenges for the future

China was an apt choice for April's LNG19 conference, given the disruptive impact that its imports have had on the fuel's global trade in recent years. And Shanghai even more so, given that it is home to the huge Yangshan terminal and acts as a hub for several more LNG terminals along the Middle Kingdom's east coast. But at the event, Chinese energy officials underlined that LNG's potential to become Asia's dominant gas delivery method versus competitors such as pipelines—and indeed the future of gas itself as a cleaner fuel alternative—depends on the industry's ability to improve coordination. "Competition from pipelines and renewables is fierce, costs are still high, and the large scale of