Chinese President Xi Jinping will fly to Washington for a state visit on 24 September in a bid to stabilise a relationship strained by tariffs and technology controls. LNG markets eagerly await whether Xi will agree to remove the 15% tariff on US LNG imports to China, which currently renders such imports uneconomic.
China’s push to electrify heavy-duty trucking is set to materially lift electricity demand, with potential knock-on effects on LNG imports. Around Beijing, electrification rates are expected to reach as high as 80% on certain corridors, accelerating the shift away from diesel and LNG toward grid-based energy.