China’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports dropped by 5.4 percent in November when compared to the same month last year, according to customs data.
Data from the General Administration of Customs shows that the country received about 6.42 million tonnes in November, compared to about 6.90 million tonnes last year.
November imports jumped when compared to the prior month’s 4.03 million tonnes.
During the January-November period, China took some 56.88 million tonnes of LNG, down 20.1 percent when compared to the same period last year.
China’s LNG imports dropped this year mainly due to very high spot LNG prices and Covid lockdowns, which affected economic activity.
However, China has started to relax Covid-related measures and this could lead to growth in LNG demand.
Unlike LNG imports, China’s pipeline gas imports increased in January-November.
Pipeline imports rose by 9.7 percent to 42.12 million tonnes during the period while in November these imports increased by 1.8 percent to 3.89 million tonnes, the data shows.
China became the world’s largest LNG importer last year, overtaking Japan, but the latter regained the title this year.
During the January-November period, Japan imported some 65.89 million tonnes of LNG, or about 9 million tonnes more than China.
Still, Japan’s LNG imports will also be lower this when year when compared to 74.31 million tonnes in 2021.