Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit Washington on September 24, 2026, for his first state visit in over a decade. The discussions are expected to focus on energy trade, specifically the potential removal of a 15% tariff on US liquefied natural gas (LNG) imposed by Beijing in February 2025.
The tariff caused US LNG shipments to China to drop from 64 vessels in 2024 to zero in 2025. In 2021, before the trade tensions, Chinese imports of US LNG were valued at $6,2 billion. Negotiators are currently discussing a reciprocal tariff reduction package covering goods worth approximately $30 billion.
US LNG exports reached an average of 17,4 billion cubic feet per day in the first half of 2026, marking a 23% year-over-year increase. Export capacity is expected to expand by an additional 10 billion cubic feet per day by 2027.
On September 14, 2026, China Gas Holdings entered into a 20-year agreement with Venture Global to purchase 0,5 million metric tons of LNG annually starting in 2030. This contract increases the company's total annual commitments from US sources to 2,5 million metric tons.
