New data from China's General Administration of customs shows that the country's net imports of coal in 2009 exceeded 100 million metric tons. China has thus become a net importer of coal, whereas previously it had always been a net exporter of this raw material.
China imported 125.834 million metric tons of coals in 2009, up 211.9 percent on year-on-year basis; on the other hand, the country's exported just 22.4 million metric tons of coal, down 50.7 percent on year-on-year basis. As a result, China's net coal imports for the year in question came to 103.434 million metric tons.
One analyst commented that, affected by the world financial crisis, international demand for coal declined and overseas prices dropped below prices in the Chinese domestic market, and that these conditions helped China to become a net coal importing country in 2009.