China Sparing US Liquefied Natural Gas in Trade Dispute

Sinopec's new Tianjin terminal is seen on Feb. 8 in Tianjin, China. The Tianjin liquefied natural gas (LNG) project has the capacity to receive 3 million tonnes of LNG per year. VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Last week, China slapped a 25-percent import duty on a host of American imports, including fossil fuels such as crude oil and coal.

Beijing’s actions were in retaliation to President Donald Trump going ahead with his proposed $50 billion tariffs on Chinese industrial products. While almost all forms of U.S. fossil fuels were included in China’s retaliatory tariffs, liquefied natural gas (LNG) was conspicuously absent.