China has halted all imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States for more than ten weeks
According to the Financial Times, shipping data revealed that no LNG shipments have taken place between the two nations since a 69,000-tonne tanker from Corpus Christi, Texas, arrived in China’s Fujian province on 6 February.
A second vessel destined for China was redirected to Bangladesh after it failed to arrive before Beijing imposed a 15 per cent tariff on US LNG on 10 February.
The tariff has now been raised to 49 per cent, effectively pricing US gas out of the Chinese market.
The current freeze on US LNG mirrors a similar halt during United States President Donald Trump’s first term, which lasted over a year.
The renewed blockade could have lasting effects, particularly as it pushes China to deepen its energy ties with Russia and casts uncertainty over the future of major LNG infrastructure developments in the US and Mexico.
There will be long-term consequences,” said Anne-Sophie Corbeau, a gas specialist at Columbia University’s Centre on Global Energy Policy.
“I do not think Chinese LNG importers will ever contract any new US LNG.”
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China significantly reduced its LNG imports from the US.
Chinese firms opted instead to resell US LNG cargoes to Europe, capitalising on higher prices there. In 2024, only six per cent of China’s LNG came from the US, down from 11 per cent in 2021.
