GACC: China's Oct coal imports fall 5.5% YoY, average import price hits 36-month high

China imported 39.43 million tonnes of all types of coal as well as lignite in October, down 5.5% year on year and 9.1% from September, according to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs (GACC). Market participants attributed the decline to high import prices, which weighed on buying interest, with the average import price climbing to its highest level since May 2023.

October's import volume fell to the lowest since a recent high of 42.78 million recorded in June, when purchases surged as domestic supply tightened following a fatal mine accident in Shanxi. Since then, domestic supply has gradually recovered, while high power-plant inventories and expensive seaborne coal have reduced buyers'