The China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) has announced that in April this year China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) issued iron ore import licenses for a total of 116.6337 million mt, down one percent month on month, valued at $6.565 billion. In the January-April period of the current year, the MOC issued iron ore import licenses for a total of 462.7447 million mt, valued at $22.889 billion.
In April this year, the iron ore import licenses issued by China for Australian and Brazilian iron ore amounted to 70.4387 million mt and 24.3269 million mt respectively, down three percent percent and rising by four percent month on month, with respective values of $3.916 billion and $1.510 billion. In the January-April period of the current year, the iron ore import licenses issued for Australian and Brazilian iron ore totaled 287.1123 million mt and 97.3447 million mt, valued at $13.799 billion and $2.450 billion, respectively.
Licenses issued for imports of South African iron ore in April amounted to 5.4013 million mt, up six percent month on month, valued at $297 million, while licenses issued for iron ore from other countries amounted to 16.4668 million mt, valued at $840 million. In the January-April period this year, the import licenses issued for iron ore from South Africa and other countries amounted to 19.7414 million mt and 58.5463 million mt, valued at $960 million and $2.705 billion, respectively.