China's Russian LNG Imports Doubled in June, Customs Data Show
June customs figures show China absorbed nearly twice as much Russian LNG as a year earlier, with dedicated terminal infrastructure under construction to handle more.
China's imports of Russian liquefied natural gas nearly doubled in June 2026 compared with the same month last year, according to customs data released Monday (2026-07-20), a shift that reflects both Moscow's need to redirect sanctioned volumes and Beijing's appetite to absorb them at a discount.3,5
The June figure marks a 99.9% year-on-year rise. The International Energy Agency reported that Russia's total LNG exports grew around 8%, or 2 billion cubic meters, in the first half of 2026 year-on-year, with China accounting for an outsized share of those additional volumes.5
The infrastructure to sustain that trade is already under construction. Reuters reported in June 2026 that China was preparing a second terminal — the Longkou LNG facility in Shandong province — specifically to receive sanctioned Russian cargoes, giving Chinese buyers a dedicated import node that reduces the operational friction of routing those vessels through standard-use terminals.3
Russia's pivot east was forced by EU sanctions that steadily removed European LNG customers. EIA data showed Russian LNG exports fell 8%, or 0.4 billion cubic feet per day, in 2025 — the largest volumetric decline among major exporters that year. That volume needed a buyer, and China obliged, accepting a price discount in exchange for supply security.6
The timing favours both parties. Qatar's LNG exports have been curtailed since February 28 (2026) by the Strait of Hormuz closure, which removed approximately 20% of global LNG supply from the spot market. Asian buyers who absorbed over 80% of Qatari volumes in 2025 are now competing directly with European utilities for cargoes. JKM front-month, the benchmark for DES Northeast Asia deliveries, was trading at $20.98/MMBtu as of Monday (2026-07-20), a level that reflects sustained competition for non-Russian Atlantic Basin cargoes.6
Chinese buyers are therefore substituting Russian supply for spot purchases. Kpler forecast total Chinese LNG imports in June at 5.29 million tons, roughly flat year-on-year in aggregate. The Russia-specific surge means the composition of China's book shifted materially toward Moscow and away from the open market.4
The broader Russia-China gas relationship extends beyond LNG. Power of Siberia pipeline flows jumped around 25% to 38.8 billion cubic meters in 2025, exceeding the pipeline's planned annual capacity of 38 bcm. The two countries have since agreed to increase annual volumes by a further 6 billion cubic meters, targeting 44 bcm annually.2
Russia's supply position carries its own uncertainties. Federal statistics data showed Russia's total gas production declined 3.2% in the first half of the year to around 334.8 billion cubic meters, while LNG output fell 5.1% to approximately 16.5 million tons in the same period. Sanctioned tanker fleets and constrained liquefaction capacity cap how far Moscow can grow its exports even as commercial incentives push toward higher China volumes.1
U.S. LNG exports surged 26% to 15.1 billion cubic feet per day in 2025, accounting for 26% of global supply — up from 21% the prior year — and total global LNG trade reached a record 56.3 Bcf/d, EIA data show. Those volumes compete directly with Russian cargoes on price in the Asian spot market; the deeper the JKM-to-Russian-LNG spread, the more Beijing will lean on Moscow rather than the open market.6
Whether Russia can sustain or grow these shipment levels into the second half of 2026, while pipeline deliveries via Power of Siberia are also targeted to climb toward 44 bcm annually, will determine whether the Longkou terminal commitment represents a durable supply arrangement or a cyclical draw on discounted spot availability. June's customs reading is one data point. The next monthly release, due in approximately four weeks, will show whether the pace held.3,12