Chinese LNG Demand Looks Poised to Disappoint Yet Again

Chinese liquefied natural gas imports are at risk of another weak year as disappointing industrial demand and persistently high global prices look set to reduce purchases.

Imports will fall by about 15% to 65 million tons this year, meaning China may lose its position as the world’s biggest buyer of the super-chilled fuel to Japan, according to BloombergNEF. The outlook for 2026 is also not encouraging: Overall gas demand is set to slump, suggesting it has decoupled with GDP growth, BNEF analysts said at a summit this week.