China builds energy ties as US imports slow

With growing US production, imports are slowing down in North America. China is becoming more prominent where the US is pulling back

For energy-rich countries in northern Latin America and the Caribbean, the US has long loomed large. It has been the primary customer for oil and gas exports and US companies have pumped billions of dollars into the region to explore and develop oil and gasfields. But as US domestic production surges, and import demand falls, the region's energy relations are changing, and countries are looking beyond the US for markets and investment dollars.  More often than not, those countries are looking to China. The country has been keen step in where the US is pulling back to help secure its energy needs, and its chequebook diplomacy is making it an increasingly important player in the region. China'