China’s response has been swift and predictable: When the Trump Administration on Monday threatened to expand tariffs to include some $200 billion in Chinese goods, Asia’s economic powerhouse promised swift retaliation should that occur, The Houston Chronicle reports.
The back-and-forth picked up on Friday, when the U.S. announced tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods. China countered with measures that will affect a wide range of American imports, including many energy and petrochemical products.
But China’s list excluded liquefied natural gas. Analysts expect it will remain that way, even as the trade war escalates. China, they say, can’t afford to jeopardize shipments of U.S. LNG as it works to reduce dangerous smog levels in its major cities by curbing emissions and reducing its reliance on coal.
LNG is scarcer in Asia and U.S. LNG accounted for 4% of China’s demand last year, according to research firm Wood Mackenzie.
