Chinese banks trim dollar lending to developing Asia
STELLA YIFAN XIE and LISA KIM
HONG KONG/TOKYO -- The dollar is losing share to the Chinese yuan in lending to developing nations in Asia, marking a rare success for Beijing in its yearslong efforts to challenge the dominance of the greenback.
Between the first quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2024, dollar-denominated loans to emerging Asian economies declined 16%, due to Chinese banks increasingly shifting to yuan-denominated lending, according to a study published in May by the Federal Reserve.
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Japan Today
an hour ago
- Japan Today
VIPs visit expo
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, third from right, and George Glass, Ambassador of the U.S. to Japan pose with U.S. delegates outside the U.S. pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, on Saturday. © Reuters
Japan Today
an hour ago
- Japan Today
Trump's tariff pressure pushes Asia toward American LNG, but at the cost of climate goals
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry tour the Venture Global's Plaquemines LNG export facility on March 6, 2025, in Plaquemines, La. By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Asian countries are offering to buy more U.S. liquefied natural gas in negotiations with the Trump administration as a way to alleviate tensions over U.S. trade deficits and forestall higher tariffs. Analysts warn that strategy could undermine those countries' long-term climate ambitions and energy security. Buying more U.S. LNG has topped the list of concessions Asian countries have offered in talks with Washington over President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs on foreign goods. Vietnam's Prime Minister underlined the need to buy more of the super-chilled fuel in a government meeting, and the government signed a deal in May with an American company to develop a gas import hub. JERA, Japan's largest power generator, signed new 20-year contracts last month to purchase up to 5.5 million metric tons of U.S. gas annually starting around 2030. U.S. efforts to sell more LNG to Asia predate the Trump administration, but they've gained momentum with his intense push to win trade deals. Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, is natural gas cooled to a liquid form for easy storage and transport that is used as a fuel for transport, residential cooking and heating and industrial processes. Trump discussed cooperation on a $44 billion Alaska LNG project with South Korea, prompting a visit by officials to the site in June. The U.S. president has promoted the project as a way to supply gas from Alaska's vast North Slope to a liquefication plant at Nikiski in south-central Alaska, with an eye largely on exports to Asian countries while bypassing the Panama Canal Thailand has offered to commit to a long-term deal for American fuel and shown interest in the same Alaska project to build a nearly 810-mile (1,300-kilometer) pipeline that would funnel gas from The Philippines is also considering importing gas from Alaska while India is mulling a plan to scrap import taxes on U.S. energy shipments to help narrow its trade surplus with Washington. 'Trump has put pressure on a seeming plethora of Asian trading partners to buy more U.S. LNG,' said Tim Daiss, at the APAC Energy Consultancy, pointing out that Japan had agreed to buy more despite being so 'awash in the fuel' that it was being forced to cancel projects and contracts to offload the excess to Asia's growing economies. 'Not good for Southeast Asia's sustainability goals,' he said. Experts say LNG purchasing agreements can slow adoption of renewable energy in Asia. Locking into long-term deals could leave countries with outdated infrastructure as the world shifts rapidly toward cleaner energy sources like solar or wind that offer faster, more affordable ways to meet growing power demand, said Indra Overland, head of the Center for Energy Research at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. Building pipelines, terminals, and even household gas stoves creates systems that are expensive and difficult to replace—making it harder to switch to renewables later. 'And you're more likely then to get stuck for longer,' he said. Energy companies that profit from gas or coal are powerful vested interests, swaying policy to favor their business models, he said. LNG burns cleaner than coal, but it's still a fossil fuel that emits greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change. Many LNG contracts include 'take-or-pay' clauses, obliging governments to pay even if they don't use the fuel. Christopher Doleman of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis warns that if renewable energy grows fast, reducing the need for LNG, countries may still have to pay for gas they no longer need. Pakistan is an example. Soaring LNG costs drove up electricity prices, pushing consumers to install rooftop solar panels. As demand for power drops and gas supply surges, the country is deferring LNG shipments and trying to resell excess fuel. Experts said that although countries are signaling a willingness to import more U.S. LNG, they're unlikely to import enough to have a meaningful impact on U.S. trade deficits. South Korea would need to import 121 million metric tons of LNG in a year — 50% more than the total amount of LNG the U.S. exported globally last year and triple what South Korea imported, said Doleman. Vietnam — with a trade surplus with the U.S. twice the size of Korea's — would need to import 181 million metric tons annually, more than double what the U.S. exported last year. Other obstacles stand in the way. The Alaska LNG project is widely considered uneconomic. Both coal and renewable energy in Asia are so much cheaper that U.S. gas would need to cost less than half its current price to compete. Tariffs on Chinese steel could make building building gas pipelines and LNG terminals more expensive, while longstanding delays to build new gas turbines mean new gas power projects may not come online until 2032. Meanwhile, a global glut in LNG will likely drive prices lower, making it even harder for countries to justify locking into long-term deals with the United States at current higher prices. Committing to long-term U.S. LNG contracts could impact regional energy security at a time of growing geopolitical and market uncertainties, analysts said. A core concern is over the longterm stability of the U.S. as a trading partner, said Overland. 'The U.S. is not a very predictable entity. And to rely on energy from there is a very risky proposition,' he said. LNG only contributes to energy security when it's available and affordable, says Dario Kenner of Zero Carbon Analytics. 'That's the bit that they leave out ... But it's pretty important,' he said. This was the concern during the recent potential disruptions to fuel shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and earlier during the war in Ukraine, when LNG cargoes originally destined for Asia were rerouted to Europe. Despite having contracts, Asian countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were outbid by European buyers. 'Events in Europe, which can seem very far away, can have an impact on availability and prices in Asia,' Kenner said. Asian countries can improve their energy security and make progress toward cutting carbon emissions by building more renewable energy, he said, noting there is vast room for that given that only about 1% of Southeast Asia's solar and wind potential is being used. 'There are genuine choices to meet rising electricity demand. It is not just having to build LNG,' he said. Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Nikkei Asia
11 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Japan eyes tariff talks in US next week before Aug. 1 deadline
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent gestures as Japan's Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa reacts on the day they visit U.S. pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka on July 19. © Reuters OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Japan's top tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said Saturday he intends to visit the United States possibly early next week for an eighth round of trade talks, before a 25 percent tariff on Japan comes into effect on Aug. 1. "I want to continue working to find common ground that both sides can agree on," Akazawa told reporters at the World Exposition in Osaka where he was accompanying U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, his counterpart in the talks. The visit to the United States for tariff talks would be Akazawa's first in three weeks and would come in the aftermath of Japan's House of Councillors election on Sunday, in which the ruling bloc could lose its majority amid dissatisfaction over rising living costs. Akazawa said he and Bessent had "strengthened our trust" during the latter's visit as head of a presidential delegation to the expo. While no formal tariff talks took place, Akazawa declined to say whether they exchanged views on the levies. The comments came a day after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Bessent told him he believes the two sides can reach a "good" deal during a roughly 30-minute meeting at the premier's office. Japan has struggled to gain concessions from the United States on tariffs, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying earlier this week that reaching an agreement by the Aug. 1 deadline may be difficult. After seven visits to the United States by Akazawa and failure to reach a deal by a mid-June meeting between Trump and Ishiba at the Group of Seven summit, Washington notified Tokyo of a planned 25 percent tariff rate by letter in early July. Among tariff measures already implemented by Trump and proving a sticking point in bilateral negotiations is the 25 percent levy on imports of vehicles to the United States. It is seen as a serious blow to the Japanese economy's growth-driving auto sector.
