Japan and South Korea vent: If it were not for Trump's pressure, they would not have considered the Alaska gas project
According to a report by the UK's Financial Times on August 5, as the United States reached trade agreements with Japan and South Korea, US President Trump tried to use tariff pressures to force the two countries to participate in the Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) development project, selling natural gas to Asian countries through a 1300-kilometer pipeline connecting Alaska's northern gas fields and the southern Nikiski port.
However, Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea expressed doubts about the economic feasibility and business logic of the project. Analysts estimate that the project may cost more than 60 billion dollars. Japanese business people and South Korean officials revealed that if it were not for the pressure from the Trump administration, the two countries would not have considered this project at all.
The report said that Alaska has been transporting liquefied natural gas to Asia since the late 1960s. However, as the southern gas fields ran out, the state has been looking for ways to transport natural gas mined in the Arctic Circle to the southern liquefied natural gas facilities.
The United States proposed a plan over a decade ago to build a pipeline connecting Alaska's northern gas fields to the southern Nikiski port. However, the project has been stagnant since 2016 when major American energy giants ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips withdrew.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839608349565187/
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