Qatar seeks to expand its LNG sales and production capacity by signing agreements and partnering with several countries

By entering into agreements and working with other nations and organizations this year, Qatar hopes to increase the amount of LNG it sells and produces. 

A Fitch Solutions analysis states that the expansion of sales and production capacity in the country is greatly facilitated by Asian nations, such as China and India. 

With regard to the NFE and NFS projects, QatarEnergy sold equity shares to Sinopec and PetroChina, indicating their long-term plan to break into China's rapidly expanding market. 

Contracts to import nearly 8 mtpa from the NFE and NFS projects have been signed by companies with Chinese domicile.

Another significant market for Qatar is India, whose appetite for LNG is reportedly growing quickly. With the signing of a Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with Petronet LNG in 1999, Qatar and India have strong energy connections. However, the LNG trade between Qatar and India is significantly behind that of China's market. 

Qatar and Petronet LNG of India extended their SPA this year, with the latter providing roughly 7.5mpta of LNG beginning this month. China is still, nevertheless, Qatar's biggest LNG customer.