China says it is ready to increase talks with the United States to improve trade and economic relations

China says it is ready to increase talks with the United States to improve trade and economic relations

China has shown a willingness to increase talks with the United States to bolster trade and economic relations, a move that comes amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions. Meanwhile, Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project continues to face significant challenges due to Western sanctions, with China becoming a key market for its LNG cargoes.

According to ship-tracking data from LSEG and Kpler, a third tanker from Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 plant, under Western sanctions, discharged its cargo and exited a terminal in China on Wednesday. The U.S.-sanctioned LNG tanker Zarya unloaded more than 160,000 cubic meters of LNG from the sanctioned Russian project Arctic LNG 2 at the Beihai LNG Terminal in Guangxi, southern China .

China has so far received three cargoes of LNG from Arctic LNG 2, totalling more than 386,000 cubic meters of LNG. Two more cargoes are expected to arrive in the coming days, with the 174,000 cbm Buran signalling an estimated arrival date of September 13 .

Despite beginning production and loading cargoes in August 2024, Arctic LNG 2 has struggled to sell its LNG due to Western sanctions imposed over Moscow’s war in Ukraine. However, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright indicated that President Donald Trump’s priority is to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end without larger disruptions, when asked how the U.S. would react to Chinese purchases of sanctioned Russian LNG cargoes .

This development highlights the complex dynamics of global energy markets and the geopolitical factors that influence trade. While China's willingness to engage in talks with the U.S. suggests a potential thaw in trade relations, the continued sanctions on Arctic LNG 2 underscore the ongoing tensions between the West and Russia.