China stops buying LNG from US, replaces with gas from neighbouring countries

MOSCOW: China halted liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchases from the United States in March, while simultaneously increasing its imports from Australia, Indonesia, and Brunei, according to a RIA Novosti analysis of Chinese customs data.

In 2024, the US was among the top five suppliers of LNG to the Chinese market, exporting 4.15 million tonnes of this fuel to China for US$2.4 billion. In January 2025, China purchased 194,200 tonnes of gas from US companies for US$125.4 million, but in February, the purchases dropped to 65,800 tonnes for US$31.4 million.

In March, the US was not among the suppliers of LNG to China at all. This was the first such interruption since June 2022.

China compensated for the loss of LNG volumes by increasing purchases from its regional neighbours. Among the largest suppliers, Indonesia increased its exports by 1.7 times month-on-month, to US$330.7 million, while Australia raised supplies by 18 per cent to US$778.4 million. In addition, in March, China resumed imports from Brunei for US$51 million.

On April 2, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order introducing "reciprocal" duties on imports from other countries, resulting in one of the highest rates against China - a total of 54 per cent. This led to a sharp escalation of the trade war between the two countries.

The duty for Chinese exporters to the US has reached 145 per cent, and the rate for US suppliers to China is 125 per cent. Some experts told RIA Novosti that such a level of duties means a de facto halt in trade between the world's two largest economies.

--BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI