According to an Sxcoal review based on data from the General Administration of Customs of the PRC, Indonesia remained the main coal supplier to China in August with 14.42 million tons, while Mongolia took second place with 9.81 million tons.
Russia supplied 9.2 million tons of coal in August and, despite a year-on-year increase of 13.4%, fell to third place. The share of Russian suppliers in PRC imports was 21.9%.
From January to August, Russia reduced coal supplies to China by 10.8% year on year, to 53.15 million tons. The PRC's coal imports over eight months amounted to 310 million tons, which is 3.4% more than a year earlier. Supplies from Indonesia over this period fell by 0.9% to 121 million tons, while those from Mongolia rose by 48.9% to 78.39 million tons.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak previously said that from January to August Russian coal exports grew by 7.2% year on year, but he did not name absolute figures. The CII estimated supplies over eight months at 146.8 million tons, and 36% of this volume went to the Chinese market.
NEFT Research consulting partner Alexander Kotov said that import duties on Russian coal in China are 3–6%, while for Mongolia, Australia, and Indonesia, zero tariffs apply under free trade agreements. According to him, Russian suppliers are already selling coal at a 10% discount, and increasing it will make trade unprofitable. The NEFT Research review also says that since the beginning of the year, by September 11, the cost of transporting coal from the Vostochny port to China has risen by 45.5% to $9.6 per ton.
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