Roughly half of the 2.5% rise in global gas demand came from Asia-Pacific, led by China, Japan and India. Global gas production increased 1.2% to 4.12 tcm, with storage withdrawals covering the shortfall. Output climbed 5% in the CIS and 2.1% in Asia-Pacific but fell 3.4% in Europe and 5.8% in Africa. Pipeline trade expanded by 43 bcm, driven by higher Russian exports to Europe, neighbouring CIS states and China, while LNG volumes were broadly stable. Natural gas is increasingly viewed as a core component of a resilient energy system rather than merely a “bridging fuel”, Jafri said. Wayth noted global oil demand is still rising but “flattening”, with the timing of a peak depending partly on a recovery in Chinese consumption. World oil production rose 0.6% to 9.69 mn bpd, supported by record US output above 20mn bpd – close to the combined supply of Saudi Arabia and Russia. Wayth cautioned this could represent a high-water mark for US production amid declining reserves and greater capital discipline among producers.