China is expected to replace Japan as the world's largest importer of LNG

According to data from ICIS LNG Edge, the ICIS LNG price and schedule tracking platform, in the 12 months from June 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021, China imported 76.
27 million tons of LNG, while Japan imported 7632 in the same period.
Million tons
.
Based on this, ICIS predicts that China is expected to surpass Japan in the next few weeks and become the world's largest importer of LNG

The prolonged growth period of China's LNG demand can be attributed to its strong economic performance, supportive government policies, and investment in LNG and natural gas infrastructure
.

According to ICIS LNG Edge data, China's total LNG demand in 2021 is expected to be 81.
2 million tons, and Japan's 75.
2 million tons

At the beginning of this month, a shortage of coal caused power outages in some cities in Guangdong, China, and several factories were required to use electricity rationing
.
At the same time, with the continuing China’s unofficial ban on Australian coal last year and the arrival of the summer, China’s domestic coal market is currently very tight due to the substantial increase in demand, domestic supply constraints, and lower than usual import levels

"The National Energy Administration of China hopes that this year the country's coal use will fall from 57% in 2020 to less than 56% of the energy structure, which will further promote the increase in demand for natural gas and liquefied natural gas, especially in the industrial sector
.
China's Links between LNG terminals, major pipeline natural gas infrastructure and provincial end-user networks are also increasing

In contrast, Japan has had a structural surplus of liquefied natural gas for some time
.
But in January, Japan faced a major squeeze from the jump in electricity demand, which caused LNG imports to rise to a three-year high of 8.
5 million tons

Chinese state-owned liquefied natural gas buyers have occupied an important position in the global market and hold equity in a series of related export projects
.
Independent Chinese LNG buyers are also becoming increasingly active

Edward Cox, ICIS global LNG editor, said that the LNG import data is based on tracking ships carrying LNG to global ports and then cross-checking with customs data
.
By tracking ship movement, ICIS can estimate the latest deliveries and totals before official data is released