As announced by the Chinese customs authorities on April 21, in March China's coal imports totaled 15.22 million mt, up by 16 percent month on month, the third highest monthly volume on record, while coking coal imports reached 3.38 million mt, up 23 percent month on month and up 77 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, traders report that China's thermal coal imports have slowed down in April, due to the lower price of domestic coal. One trader from Zhejiang Province commented that the price of imported coal is currently RMB 20-30/mt ($2.93-4.39/mt) higher than the price of domestic coal.