In the middle of the Sino-US trade war, the world's largest publicly traded oil and gas company is still turning toward China for business despite the threat of tariffs.
Exxon Mobil Corp is placing big bets on China's soaring liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand, coupling multi-billion dollar production projects around the world with its first storage and distribution outlet on the Chinese mainland.
Its gas strategy is moving on two tracks: expanding output in places such as Papua New Guinea and Mozambique, and creating demand for those supplies in China by opening Exxon's first import and storage hub, according to an Exxon manager and people briefed on the company's plans.
That combination "will guarantee us a steady outlet for lots of our LNG for decades," said the Exxon manager, who was not authorized to discuss the project and spoke on condition of anonymity.
One of the company's top policy goals this year, the manager said, is building its Chinese client roster.
"China's natural gas demand is rising really fast, with imports soaring well over 10 percent annually at the moment because of the government gasification program and due to fast rising industrial demand, including in petrochemicals," the Exxon manager said.
An Exxon spokesperson declined to provide an executive to discuss the company's LNG investments in China.
