China
China becomes world’s No.2 LNG importer in 2017, behind Japan
Last week the EIA reported that China will become the second largest LNG importer in the world, behind Japan. Several outlets have written about this growth and what it means to the industry as a whole. The report states that China surpassed South Korea to become the world’s second-largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2017, according to data from IHS Markit and official Chinese government statistics. Chinese imports of LNG averaged 5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2017, exceeded only by Japanese imports of 11 Bcf/d. Imports of LNG by China, driven by government policies designed to reduce air pollution, increased by 1.6 Bcf/d (46%) in 2017, with monthly imports reaching 7.8 Bcf/d in December. China’s imports of natural gas have grown to meet increasing domestic ...