Expanding energy ties between China and the United States will contribute to broader bilateral economic cooperation amid shifting global market dynamics,industry experts said.
Liu Jia,chief expert at the Economics&Technology Research Institute,a think tank of China National Petroleum Corp,or CNPC,said that the world's two largest economies share a complementary dynamic,with the US'energy export growth aligning with China's substantial market demand.
The push for closer cooperation comes as the US rapidly expands its liquefied natural gas infrastructure,with export capacity projected to reach 150 million metric tons per year by 2028,according to the research institute.
Liu said that this expansion creates a structural necessity for partnerships,as new US liquefaction projects require the security of long-term buyers to obtain necessary financing and make final investment decisions.
"China offers the world's most predictable demand growth,providing the scale needed to anchor these US infrastructure investments,"he said.
According to figures released by the institute,China imported 68.43 million tons of LNG in 2025 and is expected to maintain its position as the world's top LNG importer this year.
This synergy has already been evident in the market for years,with major Chinese State-owned enterprises such as China Petroleum and Chemical Corp,or Sinopec,and CNPC signing long-term purchase agreements with leading US exporters,including Cheniere Energy and Venture Global LNG.
According to the institute,energy has always been an important component of the broader trade balance between the two nations,highlighting the sector's role in addressing trade disparities.
In addition to direct trade,the two countries have also established investment links.
US oil major ExxonMobil began operating its mega ethylene project in Huizhou,Guangdong province,last year.It is one of the largest foreign investment projects in China,and the first major petrochemical project constructed in China solely by a US company.
According to Liu,US and Chinese companies have jointly invested nearly$200 billion in third-party oil and gas projects across the Middle East,Central Asia and Africa.
To maintain this momentum,Liu suggested that both sides should expand cooperation into emerging fields such as energy storage and power grid technology.
Liu's views were echoed by Lin Boqiang,head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University,who said that stable and predictable energy trade has provided an important area of mutual benefit.
As China's demand is predictable and the US supply is expanding,energy can serve as a bridge through which both sides can achieve tactical gains,Lin said.
Experts also recommended strengthening ties in traditional industrial sectors,including the supply of chemical feedstocks such as ethane and propane,as well as uranium mining.
"Establishing regular dialogue mechanisms between think tanks and industry bodies in both countries will be essential for stabilizing market expectations and deepening mutual consensus,"said Liu from the Economics&Technology Research Institute."This framework is necessary to ensure that energy cooperation remains a robust cornerstone of the bilateral relationship,even amid broader geopolitical shifts and profound changes in the global landscape,"he added.
