China’s LNG Imports Recover Ahead of Peak Cooling Season

China imported 4.9 million tons of liquefied natural gas last month, a slight increase on an annual basis, Bloomberg reported today, citing shipping data. The rebound comes ahead of a likely jump in electricity demand over the summer as air-conditioning demand rises. The May figure is also a reversal of import trends from the previous few months, which booked a series of declines amid crimped supply from the Middle East that led to significantly higher prices, dampening importers’ appetite and greater use of coal for power generation. China’s…