| Abstract: | The year 2017 saw explosive growth in China's natural gas market, and the apparent consumption was 235.7 billion cubic meters, up 18.2% over the same period of 2016. In 2017, China's domestic production growth picked up significantly, reaching 145.3 billion cubic meters, an increase of 9%.Natural gas imports grew rapidly, and imported pipeline gas and imported LNG totaled 91.6 billion cubic meters. The trade volume of LNG surpassed that of pipeline gas for the first time since 2012. In 2018, the macro-economy is expected to maintain growth at a moderate-to-high rate. However, driven by favorable factors such as environmental policies, China's demand for natural gas is expected to continue to grow rapidly, and natural gas consumption will maintain double-digit growth, roughly at 12%. Nevertheless, the seasonable imbalance between natural gas supply and demand will remain conspicuous. |
