China Hikes Natural Gas and Coal Imports as Prices Halve From 2023

China has boosted its imports of coal and natural gas so far this year, as it looks to stockpile fuel for the power plants ahead of the summer amid international prices that were half last year’s levels in the first four months of 2024. Chinese imports of natural gas jumped by 21% between January and April compared to a year earlier, while imports of coal rose by 13%, according to data reported by Bloomberg on Monday. The Asian benchmark LNG prices averaged a little over $9 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) in the first…