China’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports are expected to increase at a slower pace in the second half of the year after blistering growth over the first six months, but the moderation is unlikely to put a brake on surging international prices. China normally steps up imports of the super-chilled fuel in the second half to meet winter demand, but buying has been curbed by high prices, a pull-back in China’s economic recovery and a lack of new receiving terminals, traders and analysts say. After 28% year-on-year growth in the first half, second-half shipments are estimated to rise 12%-13% from a year earlier, said Ricki Wang, an analyst at Chinese commodities consultancy JLC. “Prices are way too high for my clients to bear,” said Li Ruipeng, a small gas distributor in north China’s steel capital Tangshan who trucks imported fuel in trailers to gas […]