China has lifted restrictions on foreign investment in its conventional oil and gas upstream and city gas distribution sectors, in an attempt to boost resource development, and setting the stage to break the monopoly of national oil companies.

India predicted on Thursday that economic growth in the current fiscal year could rise to 7 percent from 6.8 percent for the year that ended March 31, which was the slowest pace in five years.

Tariffs, imposed by the US under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, as well as retaliatory tariffs imposed by China on US imports, have already harmed the US oil and gas industry, according to testimony Padilla recently gave to the US Trade Representative's Section 301 committee

in the presence of the President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, and the Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, PAO NOVATEK and the consortium of Mitsui & Co and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation JOGMEC signed the Sales and Purchase Agreement to purchase a 10% participation interest in the Arctic LNG 2 project.

The re-opening of trade negotiations between the US and China also opens the door for the easing of trade tensions and potential removal of tariffs on a range of commodities including LNG, LPG, soybeans, metals and petrochemicals.

The countries signed an $8.3 billion economic cooperation pact that included a $6 billion deal between Saudi Aramco and the Korean company S-Oil to build an oil refinery and downstream petrochemical facilities in South Korea.

Economic growth in Bangladesh continues to be strong. Robust private consumption pushed real GDP growth close to 8 percent in FY2018, while inflation increased slightly, due mainly to higher food prices.

“Imposing tariffs on the remainder of U.S. imports from China will put undue strain on the supply chains of the natural gas and oil industry that enable the delivery of reliable and affordable energy to American families and businesses,” said Dr. Aaron Padilla, API’s Senior Advisor for International Policy.

China imported 1.08 million mt, or 255,065 b/d, of crude oil from Iran in May, down 66.7% from the five-year high of 3.24 million mt in April as the US' sanction waivers for Iranian oil expired on May 2.

Imports from Russia came in at 6.36 million tonnes in May, or 1.50 million barrels per day (bpd), data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Tuesday.

Over January-May, China imported 2.7 million mt of LNG from Malaysia, up 32% year on year, the customs data showed.

Over January-May, China imported 2.7 million mt of LNG from Malaysia, up 32% year on year, the customs data showed.

UK-based research and development company Innovative Physics Ltd (IPL) and China Environmental Protection Company Ltd (CEPC) have signed an agreement on technologies and skills to further improve the safety of nuclear power plants in China and overseas.

Indonesia's LNG exports plunged nearly 50% month on month in April to to 633,863 mt, while crude oil exports jumped 35% over the same period, detailed figures from Statistics Indonesia showed this week.

"We can play a role because natural gas is relatively cleaner compared to coal," he said. "So we can help countries like China and India reduce their consumption of coal."