China imported 97,492,000 tonnes of iron ore for the month of August, up 10.2% on July according to data released today by the country’s General Administration of Customs. Total spend for the metal was up 12.9% to just over $20 billion US dollars.
August also saw a 95% increase in spend over the previous year, despite a 2.9% drop in tonnage.
Copper ore and concentrates
Chinese imports of copper ore and concentrates held stable in August at 1,886,000 tonnes, with spend decreasing by 4.4%. Year-on-year tonnage rose by 18.9%, with a substantial 85.1% increase in spend compared to August 2020.
Coal and lignite
August coal and lignite imports declined by 7% from July to 28,052,000 tonnes, despite spend rising by 6%. Year-on-year figures provided a more stark difference, with spend increasing by nearly 124% over August 2020.
Australian exports to China
Total Australian exports to China reached 18.1 billion US dollars in August, representing a trade surplus of 12.3 billion dollars. The figure rose from 15.2 billion dollars in July, and achieved a significant year-on-year increase of 106% from 8.8 billion dollars in the same month last year.
