China’s LNG imports down 19.2 percent in March

Data from the General Administration of Customs shows that China received 3.95 million tonnes during March.

This compares to approximately 4.97 million tonnes in March 2026.

During January-March, Chinese LNG terminals received 14.42 million tonnes of LNG.

This marks a 6.4 decrease compared to the same period last year, the customs data shows.

In January, Chinese LNG terminals received 6.67 million tonnes, a rise of 10.5 percent year-on-year, while February LNG imports dropped 13.9 percent year-on-year to 3.86 million tonnes.

Natural gas imports, including pipeline gas and LNG, dropped by 10.6 percent year-on-year to 8.18 million tonnes in March.

China’s pipeline imports rose 1.3 percent year-on-year to 4.24 million tonnes, the data shows.

During January-March, pipeline imports dropped 1.3 percent to 13.72 million tonnes.

China has been affected by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, but not as much as India, Bangladesh, or other Asian countries.

According to several reports, China has been reloading LNG volumes in March and April and sending them to other Asian countries as prices soared amid the Middle East conflict.