China's Gas Imports Hit Record in November

China imported a record 9.15mn metric tons of natural gas (pipeline and LNG) in November, up 25.6% year-on-year, customs data showed December 8.

Imports were significantly up month-on-month as well. China imported 7.29mn mt of natural gas in October. In the first eleven months of 2018, China imported 81.19mn mt of gas, up 33.8% compared with the same period of 2017.

Chinese state-owned energy firms have been focusing on supplying sufficient volumes of gas to meet the demand in the ongoing winter season. China’s gas imports have been rising since the start of 2017 as the government aggressively implemented the coal to gas switching programme, especially in the northern part of the country.