Joy descends from the sky. On April 29, in Beijing, China and Qatar signed the largest single shipbuilding order in the history of the world - 18 ultra-large LNG carriers worth nearly 6 billion US dollars of 271,000 cubic meters, shocking the world!
At present, because of the high technical content of LNG carriers, there are only two players left, China and South Korea, and China and South Korea have almost divided all the LNG shipbuilding orders in the world!
In terms of shipbuilding technology, China and South Korea are on the same page. Why did Qatar give such a large order to China instead of South Korea?
First of all, the political mutual trust between China and Qatar cannot be compared. China's relations with Arab countries are relatively iron, especially after China's successful mediation of Saudi Arabia and Iran, the China-Arab Forum was successfully held, and China's prestige in the Middle East countries is skyrocketing. China and Qatar established a strategic partnership in 2014 and signed a cooperation document on the Belt and Road Initiative. This is incomparable to South Korea.
Second, the economic cooperation between China and Qatar is not comparable to that of South Korea. China is not only a major shipbuilder, but also a major importer of natural gas, and Qatar will be China's second largest LNG importer in 2023. On November 4, 2023, China and Qatar signed an agreement to supply 3 million tons of liquefied natural gas to Sinopec every year. In 2023, China imported 16.6613 million tons of LNG from Qatar, accounting for 23.36% of the mainland's total LNG imports. You buy my natural gas, I buy your ship, invest in it, and repay it with a peach, which is also incomparable to South Korea.
Thirdly, the military cooperation between China and Qatar is very close, and Xiao Hanzi cannot be compared. China not only sent officers to train Qatari soldiers to kick the right steps, but also sold Qatar a large number of high-tech weapons, including foreign trade versions of Dongfeng Express, drones, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, etc., which were not only unveiled at the Qatar military parade, but also used in the security of the 2022 Qatar Football World Cup. Military cooperation is equivalent to handing over one's life to the other party, and it belongs to the closest cooperative relationship, which is also incomparable to Xiao Hanzi!
Chinese officers train Qatari soldiers
Qatari soldiers kicking at the parade
With the above three incomparables, it is only natural for China to get a record order from Qatar. I hope that South Korea will be convinced, and don't be emotional and discouraged!