Russian coal exports to China jump after North Korea ban

Russian, Australian, Indonesian and Mongolian coal exports to China rose significantly in March after Beijing placed a ban on North Korean imports.

Russian coal exports to China highest in nearly three years

Russian coal exports to China took a significant jump last month after the world’s largest coal buyer turned to alternative suppliers after it imposed a ban on imports from North Korea in February.

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In March, China imported 19.5 per cent more coal from Russian, bringing in 2.3 million tons, the highest monthly total since June, 2014, according to data from the General Administration of Customs on Tuesday.

Last month, North Korea had no takers for its coal, recording zero exports in March.  Last year, China imported 2.38 million tonnes of North Korean coal.

Also benefitting from the ban were Australia, Mongolia and Indonesia.  Australian exports of coal were up by 15.75 per cent to 6.66 million tons and Mongolian shippers sent 56.35 per cent, or 3.05 million tons of coal to China. Indonesian coal exports to China rose by 9.4 per cent to 2.6 million tonnes.

Coal exports from the US to China also increased over last year.  In March, 340,000 tons were exported from the US to China, up from just 39 tons at the same time last year.

The ban was enacted after repeated missile tests by Pyongyang.

In China, overall coal imports rose due to strong demand from steel mills which saw record outputs last month.