China's coal imports totaled 20.21 million mt in July this year, up 15.3 percent year on year but down 10.3 percent from the 22.52 million mt recorded in the previous month, as announced by the Chinese customs authorities on August 21.
The drop in China's coal imports in July as compared to June is believed to be the result of the slowdown in Chinese thermal power generation and the sluggishness in the Chinese economy. In each of the first seven months of the current year, thermal power generation in China has declined on month-on-month basis. Meanwhile, the decline in domestic coal prices in recent months has also contributed to the decrease in the volume of coal imports.