China's gas needs
China's market is growing quickly again, spurring more enthusiasm for domestic shale and attracting exporters as far away as the US
If nothing else, Donald Trump's extraction of a promise from China to consider buying liquefied natural gas from the US is a good sign for other gas exporters such as Australia, Qatar, Indonesia and Malaysia. As China embarks on the wholesale replacement of coal by cleaner fuels including renewables, its interest in imported LNG illustrates a determination to plug the energy gap in any way that it can. Suddenly, its market is burgeoning once again. In April, China's gas demand grew at a year-on-year rate of 22%, says consultancy Wood Mackenzie. "This dynamic, emerging market is becoming more attractive to gas exporters," it said in a report, also citing the prospective deal with the US and a
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6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
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