In a major breakthrough, China has successfully produced Yttrium-90 (Y-90) using a commercial nuclear reactor, the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) announced on Sunday. The Y-90 glass microspheres, produced through irradiation at the Qinshan Nuclear Power Base in east China’s Zhejiang Province, have passed relevant tests, indicating that the country …
Read More »China’s LNG Imports Set for Rare Decline in 2025
This year’s milder winter, weak industrial demand, and higher gas pipeline imports are set to result in the first decline in China’s LNG imports since 2022, according to estimates by research firms compiled by Reuters. Last year, China imported a total of 76.65 million metric tons of LNG. This year, …
Read More »China’s Petrochemical Reliance on U.S. Outweighs Rare Earth Trade
US petrochemical producers may have found themselves on the front line of global trade wars, BNEF reports, with China’s dependence on the US for feedstocks (see “Chinese Plastics Factories Face Mass Closure As US Ethane Supply Evaporates”) blunting the impact of its dominations of exports of rare earth metals. China …
Read More »China’s Gas Firms Want Power Sector to Prop up Demand
As China’s natural gas demand growth slows, domestic gas producers are lobbying the authorities to raise the number of gas-fired power plants, which they see as the key growth driver going forward, sources involved in advising on energy policy have told Bloomberg. China’s gas demand growth has weakened in recent …
Read More »China’s May Crude Imports at 4-mth Low amid Widespread Refinery Maintenance
China’s crude oil imports fell in May to their lowest daily rate in four months, data showed on Monday, as planned maintenance work at both state-owned and independent refiners picked up. May imports in the world’s largest crude buyer totalled 46.6 million metric tons, equivalent to 10.97 million barrels per …
Read More »China’s Rare Earths Weapon could Kill Europe’s Auto Industry
China earlier this year introduced restrictions on its exports of rare earths. The move marked a new stage in the US- China trade spat, when the two sides no longer tried to out-tariff each other but took to more concrete steps. The problem is, the restrictions don’t just apply to …
Read More »Venezuela Replaces U.S. Oil Giants with Chinese and Argentine Firms
Venezuela hasn’t waited long to replace Western service providers in its oil industry after the U.S. sanctions, and has signed at least nine agreements with foreign firms, including from China, sources with knowledge of the deals told Bloomberg. Under the U.S. sanctions, Western oil producers were given time until May …
Read More »China Schools the West on EVs
In April this year, China’s BYD hit a first–it sold more cars in Europe than Tesla. Of course, one reason for this was EV fans’ reaction to Elon Musk’s political endeavors, but another was that BYD’s EVs were simply better and more affordable. And now Western carmakers want to learn …
Read More »Supertanker with Russian Oil Anchored near China could Signal Weak Demand
A supertanker carrying 2.1 million barrels of Russia’s Far Eastern ESPO crude grade has been anchored near China for days in what traders say is an unusual pattern that could suggest weaker demand in the Asian market. The Big Star supertanker loaded ESPO from three smaller vessels near Russia’s Zarubino …
Read More »U.S. Ethane Exports Face Licensing Hurdles after China Lifts Tariffs
China has waived a short-lived 125% tariff on U.S. ethane imports, but American shipments to China could be hindered by a U.S. requirement of export licenses. Ethane, a natural gas liquid primarily extracted from raw natural gas during processing, is mainly used as a feedstock for ethylene production, one of …
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