OREANDA-NEWS. December 27, 2011. Kuwait became China's biggest liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplier in November by overtaking Qatar, latest data by the Chinese government shows. Kuwait's LPG shipments to China surged 64.4 percent year-on-year to 80,500 tons last month, accounting for a quarter of China's total LPG imports, according to the General Administration of Customs.

 The United Arab Emirates was second with 80,000 tons, up 55.7 percent, followed by Iran with 69,500 tons, down 5.1 percent. In October, Kuwait was China's No.2 LPG supplier after Qatar. Kuwait's January-November LPG shipments to the nation also skyrocketed 139.6 percent from the same period last year to 505,000 tons.

 China's overall imports of LPG last month fell 7.3 percent from a year earlier to 320,900 tons. China is the world's second-biggest LPG consumer after the US. State-run Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has successfully expanded its market share in China since the establishment of KPC's Beijing office in early 2005, including LPG, crude oil and sulfur. Crude oil shipments to China reached 198,000 in 2010, a 11-fold increase from 18,000 bpd in 2004.