EU countries have been increasingly boosting storages with surplus Chinese liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchased in the spot market, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

According to the article, China, the globe’s largest LNG buyer, has been reselling some of its excess volumes in the international market. The surplus is attributable to weak domestic demand as Covid-19 restrictions linger on, reports RT.

For instance, the Chinese LNG trader JOVO Group recently disclosed having resold an LNG cargo to a European buyer. China’s biggest oil refiner, Sinopec Group, also reported on an earnings call earlier this year that it has been selling its excess LNG in the international market. Reports say that the company has sold 45 cargoes of LNG so far this year, or about 3.15 million tons. The FT estimates that the total amount of Chinese LNG resold in the first half on 2022 may top 4 million tons, which is equivalent to about 7% of Europe’s total gas imports during this period.