China’s Australian coal imports surge as trade picks up after easing of ban, amid thawing of ties
- China’s March coking coal purchase from Australia quadrupled from the previous month, while thermal coal imports spiked by 14 times
- Beijing reportedly lifted its verbal ban on Australian coal imports in January amid an easing of tensions, that has also spread to lobsters, wine, logs, cotton and barley
China increased purchases of Australian coal sharply in March amid thawing ties as imports rose further following Beijing’s move to lift its unofficial trade barrier earlier this year.
It imported 284,989.5 tonnes of coking coal and 1.93 million tonnes of thermal coal from Australia in March, according to data from the General Administration of Customs released on Friday.
In terms of value, China imported US$92 million of coking coal, up from US$23.7 million in February, while thermal coal shipments rose from US$18.2 million in February to US$256 million last month.
In March 2020 – before China’s unofficial ban on Australian coal – imports of coking coal had reached 4.36 million tonnes, while 5.65 million tonnes of thermal coal entered the Chinese market, according to official data.