Chinese Iron Ore and Coal Imports Fall in July

Coal, Grain, Iron Ore

Chinese iron ore imports fell by 2.2 Mt year-on-year in July to a three-month low of 86.3 Mt, customs data show. Nevertheless, at 625.8 Mt, imports in January-July were still up by 43.5 Mt on the same period in 2016. The country’s coal imports (incl. lignite) also retreated in July, dropping by 1.8 Mt to 19.5 Mt, the second consecutive month of annual decline.

 By contrast, China’s soyabean imports surged to a monthly high of 10.1 Mt in July, up by 2.4 Mt year-on-year. Shipments have now risen on an annual basis in every month of 2017. At 54.9 Mt, imports in the first seven months of the year were up by 8.7 Mt on the same period in 2016.