According to the data issued on October 13 by China's customs authorities, during the first nine months of the current year China imported a total of 460 million mt of iron ore, down 2.5 percent year on year. In September, China's iron ore imports were approximately 50 million mt, rising by 44.61 million mt month on month.
In the first eight months of 2010, China's total iron ore imports had increased by 0.1 percent year on year to 410 million mt.