China’s imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) are on track to post their first major decline this year, as high prices and weak manufacturing due to COVID-19 lockdowns crimp demand for the super-chilled fuel. China became the world’s top LNG buyer last year but surrendered the top spot back to Japan in the first four months of 2022 as imports sank 18% from a year earlier, Refinitiv data shows. Gas use has fallen further this month as a COVID resurgence caused extended lockdowns across several manufacturing hubs, portending a potentially steep drop for the year, industry sources told Reuters. Even for shipments arriving in July, industrial consumers are not placing orders, a […]