China imported 4.89 million tonnes of coal from Australia in May, down 37.6 percent from the corresponding period last year, figures from the country’s customs authority showed.
The figure was also down 25.9 percent from April, despite some predictions that imports would rise over the summer months to meet growing seasonal power demand.
Imports from China’s top coal supplier have fallen 27.5 percent over the first five months of the year, to 27.44 million tonnes, hit by slowing demand and a concerted government effort to cut air pollution and curb a supply glut.
The General Administration of Customs data also showed that imports from Indonesia, China’s second biggest supplier, dropped 34.6 percent on the year to 1.86 million tonnes, with shipments over the first five months falling 47.2 percent.