China had yet disclose when to announce LNG contract winner

China had not yet revealed the exact date for it to announce the winner of the tender to supply to that country 3.5 million tons per year of liquefied natural gas (LNG), Australian LNG Pty Ltd president Arthur Dixon said in Beijing on Wednesday as reported by Dow Jones Newswires.

The timing of the announcement remained in the hands of the Chinese, said Dixon who was accompanying Australian Prime Minister John Howard who began on Wednesday meetings with President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji.

?What we know is that there is a target date for delivery in December 2005,? Dixon said.

Australian LNG Pty Ltd, BP Indonesia and Qatar?s Ras Lafan are shortlisted bidders for the LNG supply contract.

While in Beijing, Howard would push the Australian company?s bid for the supply contract in his meetings with Chinese top leaders, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

Meanwhile, the news agency said U.K Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott had met with Premier Zhu this week to push a bid by BP Indonesia for the LNG supply contract. The company will supply gas to China from its Tangguh field in Papua Province. (*)