China has entered its first long-term contract to import U.S. liquefied natural gas, following a push by the Trump administration to open the rapidly growing market to U.S. suppliers.

Cheniere Energy Inc., which has already exported LNG to China, said Friday that it had signed two purchase agreements with China National Petroleum Corp. to export LNG from the U.S. Gulf Coast to China.

Under the deal, China National Petroleum will receive 1.2 million tons of LNG a year through 2043. A portion of that supply will ship this year and the rest will begin in 2023.

President Donald Trump has made U.S. LNG exports a focus of his plans to make America an energy superpower. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced a deal last May to “expedite” the approvals of U.S. exports to China. While the deal didn’t alter any existing regulations, it was billed as a signal to China that U.S. LNG suppliers are open for business.

Mr. Trump brought two U.S. LNG executives with him during his trip to Beijing in November, including Jack Fusco, the chief executive of Cheniere, which in early 2016 became the first company to export U.S. LNG from the lower 48 states. During the trip, Cheniere signed a memorandum of understanding with China National Petroleum to eventually enter LNG export contracts.