LNG demand growth in China will flatten out this year due to its flagging economy.

Shell chief financial officer Simon Henry delivered that message to investors after announcing the Anglo-Dutch oil giant’s gas-related earnings fell by half last year. Thanks to its combination with BG Group, Shell is now one of the largest developers of LNG projects.

At roughly 20 million tonnes per annum (tpa) of LNG imports, China is a distant third to Japan and South Korea in terms of LNG imports.