Traders Beware: China's Gas Demand Isn't the Whole Story

When traders want to know where oil demand is heading, they look to China. This has narrowed their viewpoint considerably, leaving them vulnerable to price shocks. Now, the same could be happening with natural gas. China is a huge importer of natural gas, both via pipeline from Russia and in liquefied form. LNG imports to the country since the start of the year have reached close to 80 billion cu m, which is 30 billion cu m more than Russia was sending Germany's way via the Nord Stream pipeline. China also looks set to receive over 30 billion cu…