China imported 105 million tonnes of iron ore for the month of November 2021, up over 14.5% on the previous month according to data released by the country’s General Administration of Customs.
Total spend for the metal was down 4.4% to just over $12 billion US dollars on declining prices for the metal.
November saw an increase in spend of just under 2% over the previous year, despite volume rising by nearly 7%.
Copper ore and concentrates
Chinese imports of copper ore and concentrates rose by 21.8% in November to 2.19 million tonnes, with spend increasing by the same percentage.
Year-on-year volume for the base metal was up by 19.5%, accompanied by a substantial 57.7% increase in spend compared to November 2020 on robust prices.
Coal and lignite
November coal and lignite imports climbed by 30.1% from October to 35.1 million tonnes, with spend increasing by nearly 63%.
Year-on-year figures provided a drastic difference, with tonnage rising by over 200% and spend increasing by a whopping 770% compared to November 2020.
Australian exports to China
Total Australian exports to China amounted to 13.07 billion US dollars in November, representing a trade surplus of just over 6.5 billion dollars.
The figure increased from 12.56 billion dollars in October, achieving a 37.7% year-on-year increase from 9.49 billion dollars in November 2020.