By Ernest Scheyder

May 12 (Reuters) - Cheniere Energy Inc said on Friday it has had extensive negotiations with Chinese state-owned companies about increasing American shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China.

The Trump administration on Friday said it had made an agreement with China to increase access for some U.S. companies, including energy companies, to China.

Cheniere has sold nine LNG cargos to China since it began U.S. exports in Feb. 2016. All of those were sold on spot-based contracts. Cheniere is hoping to secure long-term contracts.

"We have had extensive negotiations with the Chinese over the last month," Cheniere spokesman Eben Burnham-Snyder told Reuters. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder)