China's April coal imports fall 16% year-on-year
BEIJING - China's coal imports fell 16% year-on-year in April, customs data showed on Friday, as weaker domestic prices made imports less profitable.
Imports for the month were 37.83-million metric tons, down from 45.25-million tons in April 2024, according to the General Administration of Customs.
The fall marked a second consecutive month of year-on-year decline for China's coal imports, which had previously increased every month since November 2022, excluding January and February, when year-on-year comparisons are affected by the Lunar New Year holiday.
Domestic prices are at four-year lows, cutting into profit for imported coal.
China's domestic price for medium-grade coal with a heat value of 5 500 kilocalories per kilogram was 648 yuan ($89.55) per metric ton on May 8, according to the Bohai-Rim Bay thermal coal price index. That was the lowest since March 2021 and down from 676 yuan a month earlier.
Domestic production reached a record monthly high in March of 440.58 metric tons.
Imports were also higher in April 2024 in part because a series of deadly mine accidents in the coal hub of Shanxi forced mines to close for inspection, curbing domestic output.
For the first four months of 2025, coal imports were at 152.67-million metric tons, down 5.3% from 161.15-million tons a year earlier, the data showed.
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