BEIJING, Sept. 23, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – China imported 4.71 million tonnes
of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in August, up 51.5 percent year on year, the
country’s customs authority said Sunday.
Total LNG imports in the first eight months reached 32.63 million tonnes,
up 47.8 percent year on year, according to the General Administration of
Customs.
China surpassed the Republic of Korea to become the world’s second-largest
importer of LNG in 2017, according to IHS Markit, a global marketing
information company.
China’s imports of natural gas have grown to meet increasing domestic
consumption, primarily driven by environmental policies to replace coal-fired
electricity generation.
An industry report says, the country is likely to surpass Japan to become
the world’s largest natural gas importer by 2019, with imports expected to
reach 171 billion cubic meters by 2023, mostly LNG.