GACC: China's coal exports grow 11% MoM

Total exports of all types of coal and lignite from China in October rose by 11% on month to reach 535,230 tonnes, according to the latest data from the country's General Administration of Customs (GACC). The volume was also higher by a hefty 82% from October last year, the Customs statistics show.

The total export value of the commodity had increased by 19% from September to reach $95.89 million last month, according to the data. This translates to $179.8 for each tonne of coal exported last month, higher by $11.4/t from the September average, Mysteel Global calculates.

Indonesia overtook Japan to be the largest taker of Chinese coal last month, receiving 250,258 tonnes in total, jumping by 61.8% from September and up by 82.7% on year, the GACC data indicates.

Coal shipments to Japan decreased by 44% on month to 128,545 tonnes in October, which, however, was still higher by 128% compared with the same month last year, according to the data.

Deliveries to South Korea in the month recovered from a three-month low seen in September, with an 8.5% on-month rise, while those to Malaysia soared to 52,726 tonnes last month compared to only 581 tonnes in September.

Over January-October, China exported a total of 5.68 million tonnes of coal, soaring by 64.5% on year. The total export value was higher by 18.6% on year at $1.09 billion, the GACC data showed.

This year, China's coal exports are on track to exceed a six-year high of 5.99 million tonnes registered in 2019, Mysteel Global notes.

Written by Tammy Yang, yangfangb@mysteel.com

Edited by Russ McCulloch, russ.mcculloch@mysteel.com