China, well-positioned in a tight global market sells record LNG volumes

SINGAPORE/BEIJING, April 1 (Reuters) - Chinese firms are ​reselling record volumes of LNG, cashing in on soaring spot prices as China has enough domestic ‌and pipeline gas to meet its own weakened demand, in stark contrast to other Asian buyers scrambling to replace supplies cut off by the Iran war.

The world’s top importer of liquefied natural gas, China reloaded 8 to 10 cargoes in March, its highest monthly total on ​record, according to analytics firms ICIS, Kpler and Vortexa.

So far this year, China has reloaded a record ​1.31 million metric tons of LNG, or 19 cargoes, with 10 delivered to South Korea, five ⁠to Thailand and the remainder to Japan, India and the Philippines, Kpler data showed.

By comparison, China resold 0.82 ​million tons in 2025 and 0.98 million tons in 2023, the second-highest annual total on record.

“Chinese buyers can also rely on LNG inventory drawdowns ​to meet some domestic demand.”