China Gas Holdings Ltd and Oman Oil Co have set up a joint venture to import gas into China from the Middle East, a source close to the deal said.

The venture will mainly import LNG and liquefied petroleum gas into China, the source said.
In December, Beijing granted China Gas the right to import and export natural gas into and out of China and to sell fuel products in the country.
It is the fifth company to hold such a licence.
The other companies are the three major state-backed oil firms - China Petrochemical Corp, China National Petroleum Corp and China National Offshore Oil Corp - and XinAo Gas Holdings Ltd.
State-owned Oman Oil holds a 7.66 per cent stake in China Gas.
China is pushing for wider use of natural gas as an alternative to fossil fuels to cut pollution and reduce its reliance on crude oil, and this has made the country’s natural gas market attractive to foreign companies, analysts said.
In March, China Gas set up a joint venture with SK E&S Co, South Korea’s largest gas distribution group by market share, to build gas pipelines and supply gas to Chinese cities.
Hong Kong-listed China Gas has signed contracts to supply piped natural gas or coal gas to 56 Chinese cities in more than 10 provinces.
It is the second largest Hong Kong-listed Chinese gas distributor in terms of city projects, after XinAo Gas.
Besides Oman Oil, the company’s strategic investors also include China Petroleum & Chemical Corp and GAIL (India) Ltd, which each own a 6.83 per cent stake, and the Asian Development Bank, which has a 4.88 per cent stake.