Asia Pacific: Trade

LNG imports into Asia Pacific are expected to rise on an annual basis over the coming months, with Northeast Asian imports likely to continue to be driven by China. 

China’s LNG imports rose by 28% year on year in June, to 2.2 mt. This was this highest year-on-year growth of any month so far this year and helped to pull total LNG imports for H1 up to 11.5 mt. This growth increased total LNG imports in the region despite the relatively weak levels seen elsewhere. Total LNG imports into Northeast Asia are expected to rise by around 1% year on year this autumn. Strong increases in piped supplies are also expected to continue over the coming months after China imported more than 2 mt in June, a year-on-year increase of 14%.