According to China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), iron ore shipments from overseas to China could increase from the estimated 400 million mt for 2007 to 650 million mt by 2010 and to 800 million mt by 2020.
In its statement, the NDRC said that Chinese iron ore imports account for nearly half of global iron ore shipments, which are expected to reach 780 million mt in 2007, up eight percent year on year.
Meanwhile, the NDRC also predicts that China's coal imports will reach one billion mt in 2010 and 1.2 billion mt in 2020.
In the first ten months of 2007, China imported 313.75 million mt of iron ore, up 16.5 percent year on year.