Foreign media continue to focus on: China has stopped importing American liquefied natural gas, which has lasted for more than 70 days.

[Text/Observer Network Qi Qian] Since China retaliated against the US tariff policy by imposing additional tariffs on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from the United States, foreign media have been closely watching energy trade between China and the United States. On April 18, the Financial Times cited shipping data indicating that China has stopped importing American LNG for more than 70 days, setting a new record for the longest interval in five years.

The report noted that a transport ship carrying 69,000 tons of liquefied natural gas departed from Texas and arrived in Fujian, China on February 6. Since then, there has been no further LNG shipment between the two countries.

It is worth mentioning that another liquefied natural gas transport ship, which departed from the United States, failed to reach China before February 10 when China imposed a 15% tariff. It subsequently changed its destination and finally arrived in Bangladesh.

In response to the US imposing a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, China began levying additional tariffs on some imported goods from the US starting February 10, including a 15% tariff on liquefied natural gas. Following the US government's introduction of the so-called "reciprocal tariff," China announced on April 4 that it would impose an additional 34% tariff on all imported goods from the US based on the current applicable tariff rate.

The report pointed out that China’s tariff on US LNG has risen to 49%. This means that American natural gas will no longer be economically viable for Chinese buyers in the foreseeable future. The report also believes that this may have far-reaching implications, potentially strengthening China's energy relations with Russia.

In addition, the US and Mexico are undergoing a massive expansion project for liquefied natural gas terminals worth billions of dollars. China's cessation of purchasing American liquefied natural gas may cast doubt on the feasibility of this project.

"This will have long-term impacts," said Sophie Collomb, a natural gas expert at Columbia University's Global Energy Policy Center. "I believe that Chinese liquefied natural gas importers will no longer sign any new contracts with American liquefied natural gas suppliers."

Data shows that China has suspended imports of liquefied natural gas from the United States. Bloomberg chart.

China and the United States are respectively the largest buyer and seller of liquefied natural gas globally. Data shows that US LNG exports reached 86.9 million tons in 2024, up 2.8% from 2023. According to data released by the General Administration of Customs, China's LNG imports amounted to 71.32 million tons in 2023.

In recent years, geopolitical conflicts have led both sides to begin "decoupling" in the liquefied natural gas sector. The report mentioned that China's share of LNG imports from the US was relatively low. Last year, only 6% of China's LNG came from the US, down from the peak of 11% in 2021.

However, according to Kpler data, several Chinese companies had previously signed 13 long-term contracts to purchase liquefied natural gas from US terminals, with some contracts lasting until 2049. Such long-term transactions are crucial for launching large-scale US liquefied natural gas projects. Currently, importers are attempting to renegot contracts contracts to cope with rising inflation and tariff costs in the US.

Gillian Bocarca, an analyst at Kpler, stated that she believed there was no reason for short-term resumption of LNG trade between the two countries. She commented commented: "We assess that China can withstand the loss of these shipments for quite a long period of time."

Bloomberg reported earlier that faced with rising tariff costs, Chinese buyers are unwilling to sign new agreements with American sellers and are seeking to procure liquefied natural gas from other regions such as the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

In March, Woodside Energy, an Australian energy giant, issued a press release announcing a long-term LNG sales agreement with China Resources Gas Company: starting from 2027, Woodside will supply approximately 600,000 tons of liquefied natural gas annually for 15 years. is is the's's first independent long-term sales agreement with a Chinese client and also the first 15-year LNG procurement contract signed by China Resources Gas.

The Financial Times believes that China may increase its imports of Russian liquefied natural gas. Russia has become China's third-largest supplier of liquefied natural gas, after Australia and Qatar. According to satellite news agency data, Russia's liquefied natural gas exports to China increased by 3.29% in 2024, reaching 8.3 million tons.

Previously, Peng Peng, Secretary-General of the China New Energy Power Investment and Financing Alliance, told the China Energy News that China's supply channels for natural gas are diversified and do not rely solely on the US.

China is committed to increasing domestic natural gas production to strengthen energy security. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that from January to February 2025, national industrial natural gas production was 43.3 billion cubic meters, up 3.7% year-on-year. At the same time, cheaper alternative energy sources, ranging from coal to renewable energy and pipeline gas from Russia, are reducing China's reliance on seaborne natural gas.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494554067075695104/

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