While China's consumption of natural gas grew dramatically in the 2000s, demand only began to outstrip domestic production by a significant amount in the second half of that decade, requiring pipeline and LNG import infrastructure to be put in place. High oil prices and emerging environmental problems, as a result of burning coal to fuel rapid economic growth, had increased the need for cleaner premium fuels such as gas. With pipeline imports secured from Myanmar and Central Asia, and more recently from East Siberia, as well as a range of LNG suppliers, China is rapidly becoming 'connected' to a portfolio of international supplies. As its demand growth increases, the scale of its import requirements will influence both regional and global trade flow dynamics.
展开▼
