Iron ore imports in China increased by 8.0 percent year on year, reaching 283.435 million mt in the January-March period of the year, as announced by the Chinese customs authorities on April 13.
In March alone, China imported 102.109 million mt of iron ore, up 18.86 percent year on year.
Iron ore prices have seen declines since $178/mt recorded on March 4, hitting the lowest level of $156/mt on March 22, while since then moved upwards again. The production restrictions negatively affected the demand for iron ore and dragged down its prices. However, import iron ore prices may edge up in April due to the booming construction activities in traditional peak season.