China doubled its import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia in February from a year earlier, amid deepening relations between the two countries that continued even after Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Beijing bought nearly 401,000 tons of Russian LNG last month, Bloomberg reported on March 21, citing data from Chinese customs officials. That volume made up 8 percent of China’s total LNG imports in February.
Overall, China imported 12 percent less liquid natural gas last month compared to February 2021, according to Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, China imported a total of 12.67 million tons of crude oil from Russia in the first two months of this year, according to China’s customs data.
China’s continued energy purchases from Russia are providing important revenue for Moscow, as its energy sector has become increasingly isolated after being hit with sanctions and other retaliatory moves over its aggression in Ukraine.
On March 8, President Joe Biden announced the United States would ban imports of Russian coal, liquefied natural gas, and coal. The very next day, the UK announced that it would phase out imports of Russian oil by the end of this year.
On March 15, the European Union announced another package of sanctions against Moscow, among which is a ban on new investments in the Russian energy sector. Additionally, the bloc introduced a comprehensive export restriction on equipment, technology, and services for the energy industry.
China, however, has criticized sanctions imposed by Western countries. During a daily briefing on March 2, Wang Wenbin, one of China’s foreign ministry spokespersons, said Beijing and Moscow “will continue to conduct normal trade cooperation.”
On March 9, a day after Biden’s announcement banning Russian energy products, Zhao Lijian, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said the two neighbors “always maintain sound energy cooperation” and will continue to “conduct normal trade cooperation including on gas and oil.”
By Frank Fang
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