Chinese buyers are stepping back into the liquefied natural gas market, lifting imports after several months of muted activity as spot prices sink to about $11 per million British thermal units—the lowest level since April. Traders said state-controlled Beijing Gas and provincial utility Zhejiang Energy have recently booked multiple cargoes, marking a clear reversal from the subdued procurement seen through early summer. Industry analysts attribute the uptick mainly to inventory replenishment ahead of the northern-hemisphere winter rather than a discernible improvement in underlying consumption, which remains constrained by sluggish factory output and softer retail sales. The renewed buying underscores the price sensitivity of the world’s second-largest LNG importer: when benchmark Asian prices hovered around $13–$15 earlier this quarter, Chinese firms largely stayed on the sidelines. Market participants expect the rally to taper once storage tanks are filled, but note that the fresh demand is supporting global LNG trade volumes in the near term.