MOSCOW: China halted liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchases from the United States in March, while simultaneously increasing its imports from Australia, Indonesia, and Brunei, according to a RIA Novosti analysis of Chinese customs data.
In 2024, the US was among the top five suppliers of LNG to the Chinese market, exporting 4.15 million tonnes of this fuel to China for US$2.4 billion. In January 2025, China purchased 194,200 tonnes of gas from US companies for US$125.4 million, but in February, the purchases dropped to 65,800 tonnes for US$31.4 million.
In March, the US was not among the suppliers of LNG to China at all. This was the first such interruption since June 2022.
China compensated for the loss of LNG volumes by increasing purchases from its regional neighbours. Among the largest suppliers, Indonesia increased its exports by 1.7 times month-on-month, to US$330.7 million, while Australia raised supplies by 18 per cent to US$778.4 million. In addition, in March, China resumed imports from Brunei for US$51 million. – BERNAMA
