According to the preliminary data issued by China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), in 2010 China's coal imports continued to see rapid growth, while its coal exports continued to decline. According to Chinese customs, in 2010 China's coal imports totaled 164.83 million mt, up 30.99 percent year on year, while its coal exports for the year amounted to 19.03 million mt, down 15.03 percent year on year. As a result, China's net coal imports in 2010 came to 145.8 million mt, up by 29 percent year on year, meaning that China's net coal import volume continued to surge in 2010 after China became a net importer of coal for the first time in 2009.
In December 2010, China imported 17.34 million mt of coal. China imports coal mainly from Indonesia, Australia, Vietnam, Mongolia and Russia, with its coal imports from these five countries accounting for 84 percent of China's total imports of coal.