China targets some Australian LNG cargoes as trade spat widens – Bloomberg

China has asked smaller liquefied natural gas (LNG) importers to halt their new cargoes from Australia, Bloomberg reports, citing people with knowledge of the directive from government officials.

Key takeaways

"The firms have received verbal orders from government officials to avoid purchasing additional LNG from Australia for delivery over the next year."

"Larger state-owned importers that carry out almost 90% of purchases haven’t received any guidance and plan to continue buying Australian LNG."

"China imports more than 40% of its LNG from Australia, one of the world’s biggest suppliers."