据《海湾石油新闻》6月25日新加坡报道，中国推动更清洁天空的举措使得中国超过了日本成为全球最大的液化天然气（LNG）买家，这对一个在15年前还没有进口LNG的国家来说无疑是一个重要里程碑。

中国海关总署周六公布的统计数据显示，今年5月份，中国通过管道和海上油轮进口了741万吨LNG。中国今年前五个月的LNG总进口量达到了3490万吨。据日本财务省的统计数据，日本在此期间的LNG进口总量为3450万吨。中国今年前5个月LNG进口量终于超过了日本。

中国不断飙升的天然气需求为全球LNG市场带来了福音。摩根大通银行分析师曾在6月15日的一份报告中表示，由于国内天然气产量和管道里程数增加仍将无法跟上需求的增长，中国有望在2021年前成为全球最大的LNG进口国。

过去一年的大部分时间里，LNG成为了中国海外天然气供应的最大来源。中国海关总署周六的统计数据显示，中国上个月通过油轮进口了415万吨这种燃烧清洁的燃料，而通过管道进口的天然气数量大约为327万吨。管道天然气供应可能在明年晚些时候得到提振，届时俄罗斯将启动其“西伯利亚力量”输气管道。

2004年，中国首个LNG接收终端投入运营，2009年，中国首条重要天然气进口管道投产。

李峻 编译自 海湾石油新闻

原文如下：

Global gas king crowned as China tops Japan amid clean-air drive

China’s drive for cleaner skies has pushed it past Japan to become the world’s largest buyer of natural gas, a milestone for a nation that wasn’t even importing the fuel 15 years ago.

China imported 7.41 million metric tons of natural gas through pipelines and seaborne tankers in May, according to data released Saturday by the General Administration of Customs. That puts it at 34.9 million tons for the first five months of the year. Japan’s imports during that period total 34.5 million tons, according to its Ministry of Finance. China bought more than Japan in some months last year.

The nation’s soaring natural gas demand has been a boon for the global liquefied natural gas market. China’s on track to become the world’s biggest LNG importer by 2021 as growth in domestic production and pipelines won’t be able to keep pace with needs, analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. said in a report June 15.

LNG became the biggest source of China’s overseas gas supply most months over the past year. The nation imported 4.15 million tons of the fuel via tanker last month, compared with 3.27 million tons by pipeline, Saturday’s data show. Piped gas supplies could get a boost late next year when Russia starts up its Power of Siberia pipeline.

China’s first liquefied natural gas terminal opened in 2004 and its first major import pipeline was commissioned in 2009.