Recent data from Chinese customs show that through the first five months of 2005
China imported 106.14 million tons of
iron ore worth a combined $7.28 billion.
In May the country imported 21.75 million tons of
iron ore, 8.67 million tons of which came from
Australia.
China also imported 5.9 million tons of
iron ore from
India, 3.67 million tons from
Brazil and 1.24 million tons from South
Africa in May.
Meanwhile, the
scrap imports of
China exceeded 4.19 million tons through the first five months, with May alone accounting for 815'100 tons.
The U.S. has been the largest exporter of
scrap to
China so far this year. In May,
China received 212'100 tons of
scrap from the U.S., bringing its total U.S.
scrap imports to 998'000 tons through the first five months.
Kazakhstan followed a close second, having sent 185'000 tons in May and a total of 875'000 tons through the first five months.
Japan's exports fell to 126'400 tons in May, while its five-month total came in at 821'000 tons.