China to become Qatar's top gas buyer

China will become the largest customer of Qatar’s natural gas following the conclusion of a new trade agreement, reported the Financial Times. While the deal remains unfinalized, the terms would involve Qatar supplying 10 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas to China annually. According to energy officials in Qatar, the country already supplied 5 million tonnes of LNG to China each year. The new deal would allow China to exceed even Japan – which buys about 8 million tonnes of LNG annually from Qatar – as Qatar’s primary gas customer. Some of the increased supply to China would be diverted from the US and Europe. Qatar is also increasing its overall export capacity despite a glut in global LNG supply.