China’s Surging LNG Imports From US Threatened by Next Trade War

The US has boosted sales of liquefied natural gas to China this year, although the surge may not last if the incoming Trump administration collides with Beijing over trade.

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Bloomberg News

Bloomberg News

Published Nov 19, 2024  •  2 minute read

Pipework stands at ENN Energy Holdings Ltd.'s liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on Zhoushan Island, Zhejiang province, China, on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Gas is in such hot demand in China right now it's allowing a quirky market to flourish: transporting the fuel on trucks. The country's top suppliers are loading liquefied natural gas onto tanker trucks and delivering it to users to make up for insufficient pipeline coverage inland. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg Photo by Qilai Shen /Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) — The US has boosted sales of liquefied natural gas to China this year, although the surge may not last if the incoming Trump administration collides with Beijing over trade.

China imported 63% more of the super-chilled fuel from the US in the first 10 months of the year compared to the same period in 2023, according to Chinese customs data released on Wednesday. That lifted the US to fifth in the roster of Beijing’s suppliers, behind Australia, Qatar, Russia and Malaysia.

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Although the 3.9 million tons shipped so far this year is only about 6% of China’s total, Chinese buyers have contracted for 14 million tons of US LNG starting from 2026, according to BloombergNEF.

If Washington presses ahead with a threatened 60% tariff on Chinese goods, Beijing’s retaliation could include duties on American gas. That’s what happened during the last trade war when Trump was in office, which brought US gas exports to China to a juddering halt for much of 2019.  

Of course, China could also use its gas-buying heft as a trade negotiating chip, promising to buy more of the fuel from the US in an attempt to narrow its trade surplus.

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The Week’s Diary

(All times Beijing unless noted.)

Wednesday, Nov. 20:

• China sets monthly loan prime rates, 09:00
• China’s 3rd batch of Oct. trade data, including country breakdowns for energy and commodities
• CCTD’s weekly online briefing on Chinese coal, 15:00
• China Car Charging and Battery Swapping Conference in Taiyuan, Shanxi, day 1
• China Intl Lithium Conference in Chengdu, Sichuan, last day
• China Intl PV and Storage Conference in Chengdu, Sichuan, last day

Thursday, Nov. 21:

• China Car Charging and Battery Swapping Conference in Taiyuan, Shanxi, day 2

Friday, Nov. 22:

• China’s weekly iron ore port stockpiles
• Shanghai exchange weekly commodities inventory, ~15:00
• China Car Charging and Battery Swapping Conference in Taiyuan, Shanxi, last day

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