China Import Data of Coal – China Bans Coal Imports from Australia
05 January 2021

China has reportedly told coal trades to stop imports
from Australia that would choke a major trade channel for both countries.
Australia is the top most source of coal for China, which accounted for almost
50% to total coal imports. Based on China
import statistics of coal, China imported USD 9.3 billion worth of coal
from Australia in 2019. In first six months of 2020, China imported USD 5.75
billion worth of coal from Australia. Let’s see & analyze data on China
imports coal from Australia and the world.
China Coal Imports from Australia
and World Q1-Q2 of 2020
China’s imports of coal from Australia valued USD 3.38
billion in Q1 and USD 2.37 billion in Q2 of 2020. As compared to the same
period last year, China imported coal from Australia valued USD 2.4 billion in
Q1 and USD 2.2 billion in Q2 in 2019.
Globally, China imported coal worth USD 5.62 billion
in first quarter and USD 4.42 billion in second quarter of 2020. In same period
of 2019, China’s imports of coal from the world valued USD 4.5 billion first
quarter and USD 5.0 billion in second quarter.
China Coal Imports from World in
Last 10 Years
As per China
import data, China imported coal the most from world countries in 2011,
2012 and 2013, when the value of shipments recorded above USD 20 billion mark.
Year 2015 and 2016 recorded a major decline in the value of coal imports. Below
given chart shows dollar amount of coal imports in China from global countries
during last 10 years.
Year |
Value USD Million |
2010 |
16,921 |
2011 |
20,883 |
2012 |
25,295 |
2013 |
25,933 |
2014 |
18,904 |
2015 |
10,117 |
2016 |
11,486 |
2017 |
18,552 |
2018 |
19,586 |
2019 |
18,929 |
China’s Top 5 Import Partners of
Coal 2019
Australia stood as the largest coal import source of
China, which shared 49.3% value to total imports in 2019. Value-wise, China’s
top 5 import partners of coal in 2019 were Australia (USD 9,330 million),
Mongolia (USD 3,073 million), Indonesia (USD 2,987 million), Russia (USD 2,546
million) and Canada (USD 672 million).
Quantity-wise, the value of countries recorded in 2019
as follows Australia (76,958,144 tons), Indonesia (47,842,205 tons), Mongolia
(36,057,774 tons), Russia (29,176,149 tons) and Canada (3,802,349 tons). Check
percentage share of these countries in chart given below.
Country |
Value USD % |
Australia |
49.3 |
Mongolia |
16.2 |
Indonesia |
15.8 |
Russia |
13.5 |
Canada |
3.6 |
Australia’s Stand on China Coal
Import Ban
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that a
Chinese ban on Australian coal imports would breach World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, as his government urged
Beijing to resume dialog to ease the worsening diplomatic dispute. More than 50
vessels carrying Australian coal have been stranded off China after ports were
verbally told in October not to offload such shipments.
As per Australia
export data of coal, Australia is China’s top supplier of coking coal and
iron ore, the two main ingredients used to make steel, while also being a major
provider of LNG and thermal coal, used predominantly in power stations. Get
latest updates on China-Australia bilateral trade relations right here.
