If new estimates are right, China won't import as much liquefied natural gas as once thought, leaving big energy companies -- particularly Exxon Mobil -- in the lurch.

You wouldn't think that any company, especially a company as savvy as Exxon Mobil (XOM, news, msgs), could overlook China.

But that may be exactly what Exxon Mobil did in formulating its plan to pin the company's growth on natural gas -- and in particular on liquefied natural gas, or LNG.Click graphic to see clickable chartExxon Mobil According to Wood Mackenzie, an oil and gas consulting company based in the United Kingdom, China looks like it will need only half as much additional liquefied natural gas in the decade beginning in 2020 as big energy companies -- among them Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, news,...