SHANGHAI — China imported 56.42 million tonnes of iron ore in February, down 13.9 percent from the previous month, the country’s General Administration of Customs said March 8.

The decline was due mainly to the slightly shorter month and reduced activities during the Chinese New Year holiday.

Iron ore imports for the first two months of the year totaled 121.95 million tonnes, down 1.5 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Iron ore shipments from Australia’s Port Hedland fell 14.8 percent month on month to 15.66 million tonnes in February.