China: Coal imports drop nearly 20% in May as domestic supplies rise

China’s coal imports fell 19% m-o-m to 20.5 mnt in May, customs data show. The fall in imports came as power utilities focussed on procuring domestic coal after prices eased with top economic planner NDRC imposing strict caps. Coal output in the country rose to 1.6 bnt during Jan-Apr’22, up 8% y-o-y.