China’s LNG imports slide in May

Data from the General Administration of Customs shows that the country received 4.84 million tonnes last month. This compares to 6.57 million tonnes in May 2024.

During January-May, China imported 24.86 million tonnes of LNG, a decrease of 23.2 percent compared to the same period last year.

Natural gas imports, including pipeline gas, reached 10.10 million tonnes in May.

China’s pipeline imports rose 10.4 percent year-on-year in May to 5.26 million tonnes, the data shows.

GECF said in its previous report that the decline in China’s LNG imports was attributed to increased domestic gas production and higher pipeline gas imports.

In addition, China said in February it will impose tariffs of 15 percent on imports of coal and LNG from the US after President Donald Trump imposed a tariff on goods from the country.

Several reports claim that the country has not imported US LNG supplies since then.

China’s natural gas imports rose by 9.9 percent to 131.69 million tonnes in 2024, the customs data previously showed, while LNG imports increased by 7.7 percent to 76.65 million tonnes last year, with China remaining the world’s largest LNG importer.

Japan was the world’s second-largest importer of LNG last year.

However, Japan overtook China this year as the world’s biggest LNG importer.

During January-May, Japan imported some 2.8 million tonnes of LNG more than China.