Overview of content: in 2025, china achieved an annual increase of more than 10 billion cubic metres, a “nine-step increase”, and, for the first time, gas was found at a depth of 10,000 metres on land, further weakening its import dependency. In january-february 2026, china's imports of lng were 1,053. 27 million tons, an increase of 0. 1 per cent over the same period; imports amounted to 36. 463 billion yuan, a decrease of 15. 94 per cent over the same period. During the same period, china's exports of lng amounted to 66. 74 million tons, an increase of 58. 50 per cent over the same period; exports amounted to 2,234 million yuan, an increase of 4. 77 per cent over the same period. By the end of the first quarter of 2026, china's lng exit price index stood at $5042 per ton, an increase of 10. 33 per cent over the same period. This price went beyond the integer threshold of $5,000 and was driven by a “political premium”. Since the outbreak of conflict in the middle east at the end of february, the us-iraq conflict has evolved from short-term traffic interruptions to a geo-surface black swan that has hit the global energy landscape, with international lng spot prices soaring rapidly. The impact of this international conflict has focused on the import costs of china's lng, leading to a gradual rise in domestic and international prices。
Related listed enterprises: guangxi energy (600256), china oil (601857), china sea oil (600938), china petrochemical (600028), xin o shares (600803), and nine rich energy (60509)
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Keywords: lng, lng market size, status of the lng industry, lng trend
Overview of the industry
Lng means the cooling of natural gas (mainly methane, ch4) to below the boiling point of approximately 162°c by means of physical cooling, reducing the volume of liquids formed from the gas state to the liquid state, to the original 1/600. It is colourless, odourless and non-toxic and only generates carbon dioxide and water after burning, and only 1,800 of coal is contaminated, which is the key vehicle for the transition from fossil energy to renewable energy. In january-february 2026, china produced 4. 826,000 tons of lng, an increase of 26. 43 per cent over the same period。
Ii. State of the industry market
In 2025, china achieved an annual increase of over 10 billion cubic metres, a “nine-centre increase”, and, for the first time, discovered natural gas at a depth of 10,000 metres on land, further weakened its import dependency. In january-february 2026, china's imports of lng were 1,053. 27 million tons, an increase of 0. 1 per cent over the same period; imports amounted to 36. 463 billion yuan, a decrease of 15. 94 per cent over the same period. During the same period, china's exports of lng amounted to 66. 74 million tons, an increase of 58. 50 per cent over the same period; exports amounted to 2,234 million yuan, an increase of 4. 77 per cent over the same period。
By the end of the first quarter of 2026, china's lng exit price index stood at $5042 per ton, an increase of 10. 33 per cent over the same period. This price went beyond the integer threshold of $5,000 and was driven by a “political premium”. Since the outbreak of conflict in the middle east at the end of february, the us-iraq conflict has evolved from short-term traffic interruptions to a geo-surface black swan that has hit the global energy landscape, with international lng spot prices soaring rapidly. The impact of this international conflict has focused on the import costs of china's lng, leading to a gradual rise in domestic and international prices。
Related report: advisory report on the analysis of the industrial panorama and investment strategy in china, issued by the advisory panel on intellectual studies
Note: in this section, an analysis of china's production, export and import trade, prices and key enterprises in the lng sector: geo-conflicts push up import costs and domestic production growth is difficult to achieve, was selected from the advisory institute of intellectual studies (pri) for the analysis of the industry。
For more in-depth research analysis and comprehensive data on the lng industry, attention is drawn to the advisory report on industrial panorama analysis and investment strategies in china, published by the advisory institute for intellectual studies. This report begins with a systematic and objective analysis of the development and operation of the lng sector in china in 2026, in terms of its environment, overall performance, current performance, export/import and competition patterns. The report is a systematic analysis of developments in china's lng industry in 2026. It is an important source of inspiration for a comprehensive understanding of developments in china's lng industry and for the development of academic studies and practices related to the development of the lng industry, which can be read by relevant government departments, research institutions and industrial enterprises involved in the lng sector。
For 17 years, isp has focused on industrial consultancy and is a specialized service in the field of industrial consultancy in china. Companies branded “information-driven industrial development, enabling firms to invest in decision-making”. Professional industry advisory services are provided to enterprises, mainly in the areas of quality studies, tailor-made, monthly topics, researchable reports, business plans, industrial planning, etc. Regular reports and customized data, including weekly/monthly/quarterly/annual reports, covering policy monitoring, business dynamics, industry data, product price changes, overview of investment financing, market opportunities and risk analysis。
Isp advice is based on a system of enterprise research downstream and down the chain, integrating core multi-dimensional data such as supplier directories, trade ratios, regional distribution and customer graphics, and building a panoramic supply chain map that integrates suppliers, customers, industry distributions and market occupancy. Assisting firms quickly anchor key players, perceiving industry competition patterns, providing enterprises with a very valuable panorama and decision-making base for industrial mapping, upstream and downstream cooperation, building industrial ecology, upgrading supply chain management with a passive response to intellectual prediction, and providing a high-value data base for strategic decision-making and resource integration。
Enterprise supply chain mapping service content: 1. In-depth research of upstream and downstream enterprises: systematic combustration of core data on upstream suppliers of the supply chain, full list of downstream customers, accurate collection of basic information from enterprises, trade value ratio, cooperation intensity, etc. 2. Analysis of industry and regional distribution: integration of industry classifications of suppliers/clients, regional distribution characteristics, clear presentation of industry concentration patterns and industry share structure. 3. Panorama mapping visualization: building supply chain ecological maps based on research data, visualizing upstream and downstream linkages, trading links and market share distribution. Core value data extraction: extract key information such as technological power of enterprises, market ownership, business models, etc. To synchronize the core competitiveness and competition dynamics of supply chains. 5. Decision support services: based on mapping data, providing supply chain risk nodes identification, quality resource screening, strategic layout direction recommendations, enabling enterprise decision-making。
