Four US LNG Carriers Depart for China After Trump-Xi Summit Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. May 19, 2026 Credit: Adobe Stock/AA+W Four liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels were sailing to China from the U.S. and expected to arrive in June, according to data from financial firm LSEG, marking the first U.S. LNG cargoes to leave the U.S. and go directly to China during U.S. President Donald Trump's second term in office. Last week, Trump went to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the trip, Trump told Fox News on May 14 that China wants to buy oil, LNG and other goods from the United States. In years past, China, the world's biggest gas importer, bought lots of LNG from the U.S., the world's biggest gas producer, consumer and exporter. China, however, still applies a 25% tariff on U.S. LNG following earlier levies imposed by the U.S. on Chinese goods, which remains the biggest obstacle to a revival of LNG trade between the two countries, according to a May 12 factbox from Reuters and a May 15 report from data and analytics firm S&P Global. With global gas prices rising due to the war in Iran and four vessels currently headed from the U.S. to China, it is likely that at least one of those ships will actually arrive in China. The Umm Al Hanaya vessel left Cheniere Energy's LNG.N Sabine Pass export plant in Louisiana on May 5, while the Id'Asah, Al Sene and Lamail vessels left Venture Global's VG.N Plaquemines plant also in Louisiana between May 8 and 18, according to LSEG data. All four vessels were expected to arrive in China's Tianjin port between June 15 and 28. Cheniere and Venture Global are the biggest and second-biggest U.S. LNG producers, respectively. GAS PRICES SURGE AROUND THE WORLD The U.S. became the world's biggest LNG exporter in 2023, surpassing Australia and Qatar, as surging global prices fed demand for more low-cost U.S. gas. Global gas prices have spiked in recent years due to supply disruptions linked to Russia's 2022 in