SHANGHAI — China’s imports of iron ore and coking coal decreased in January compared with the previous month, the latest Chinese customs data show.

China imported 65.54 million tonnes of iron ore during the month, down 7.6 percent from the historical high of 70.94 million tonnes recorded a month earlier.

Arrivals from Australia, the largest supplier, slipped 3.7 percent month on month to 32.42 million tonnes, while those from Brazil fell 35.5 percent to 12.91 million tonnes.

Imports from South Africa and Canada both rose more than 40 percent during the month.

China’s coking coal imports also slid, falling 5.7 percent month on month to 7.15 million tonnes during the month from 7.58 million tonnes in December.

Last year, China imported 53.55 million tonnes of coking coal, up 20 percent from 2011 levels.
Staff in Singapore contributed to this article.

A version of this article was first published by AMM sister publication Steel First.