REUTERS - China has overtaken Japan to become the world’s top importer of natural gas, as Beijing’s crackdown on pollution boosts its demand for the more environmentally friendly fuel, while the restart of nuclear reactors in Japan reduces its LNG imports.

PLATTS - China's crude oil imports surged almost 32% year on year to 9.65 million b/d or 40.8 million mt in October, preliminary data from the General Administration of Customs showed

NIKKEI ASIAN REWIEW - China is expected to become the world's biggest importer of natural gas for the first time in 2018, overtaking longtime leaders Japan and South Korea.

XINHUA - China imported 4.71 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in August, up 51.5 percent year on year, the country's customs authority said Sunday.

PLATTS - South Korea's crude oil imports from Iran halved in July from a year earlier in the wake of the reimposition of US sanctions, according to preliminary data released by the Korea Customs Service Thursday.

REUTERS - Crude shipments came in at 36.02 million tonnes last month, or 8.48 million barrels per day, up from 8.18 million bpd a year ago, and just up on June’s 8.36 million bpd, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

REUTERS - Indian refiners’ interest in U.S. crude will be welcome news to shale producers looking for buyers outside of China, which is likely to scale back imports as the trade dispute between the administration of President Donald Trump and Beijing escalates.

REUTERS - India’s oil imports from Iran surged to about 705,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May, their highest level since October 2016, according to data from shipping and industry sources, despite the threats of fresh U.S. sanctions.

EIA - U.S. exports of natural gas, including exports via pipeline and as liquefied natural gas (LNG), averaged 9.6 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in the first quarter of this year,

REUTERS - May shipments were 39.05 million tonnes, or 9.2 million barrels per day (bpd), according to data released on Friday by the General Administration of Customs. That compared to 9.6 million bpd in April and 8.76 million bpd in May, 2017.