Trump Seeks to Rebalance Asia's Energy Sources by Exporting US Gas

When President Donald Trump had lunch with his Japanese counterpart this month, the conversation swiftly shifted to how Tokyo could assist in actualizing a long-standing plan to extract gas in Alaska and transport it to US allies in Asia.

Trump and his energy advisor Doug Burgum presented the initiative as a method for Japan to substitute Middle Eastern energy imports and tackle its trade deficit with the US, as reported by two officials informed about the private discussions.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, keen to foster a favorable initial meeting and prevent harmful US tariffs, expressed an upbeat sentiment regarding the Alaska LNG project, despite skepticism from Tokyo about its feasibility.

Ishiba informed Trump and Burgum that he wished for Japan to join the $44 billion initiative, according to officials who requested to remain unnamed because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

Trump consistently referred to the project in his speeches following the lunch. Ishiba did not mention it, and it was not included in the official summary of the discussions.

Burgum, acting as both US Interior Secretary and co-chair of a White House-created National Energy Dominance Council, highlighted the potential of US LNG exports to Asia as a crucial geopolitical and economic strategy in a speech delivered to US governors on Friday.