China has increased purchases of Russian liquefied gas to a record high

China has been buying more Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) since the end of last year, exceeding the expected level of demand from the continent’s leading importer.

This is reported by Bloomberg.

According to Chinese customs, Russian LNG imports hit a record 1.9 million tonnes in December, more than double the estimate of 850,000 tonnes based on Bloomberg ship-tracking data. Similarly, customs statistics for November showed a 90% increase compared to shipping data.

Analysts believe the discrepancy indicates a significant excess of Chinese demand, especially after about a year of reduced purchases. The reason may be Russia’s use of additional “shadow fleet” tankers that hide their location when transporting sanctioned gas.

“Tracking individual tankers has long been a key method for estimating global LNG flows. The discrepancy between customs and shipping data is rare on such a scale as in the case of supplies from Russia to China,” experts note.

Some analysts suggest that this may indicate the transportation of US-sanctioned cargo under different markings to circumvent restrictions.

Overall, China purchased 9.8 million tons of Russian LNG last year, a historic high. The country’s total imports fell by 11% due to falling demand, stockpiling and active pipeline deliveries.

Recall that in 2025, China received 22 shipments of Russian liquefied natural gas from sanctioned projects . This indicates that US and European Union sanctions have not affected supplies, and Beijing plans to increase them.

As reported, China has begun forming its own “shadow fleet” of gas tankers , which will allow the country to import Russian liquefied gas, which is under US sanctions.

Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , Twitter , Telegram , and Instagram .