Australian coal continues to make inroads among Chinese buyers, adding to pressure on domestic prices, with new shipments climbing to their highest level since Beijing halted imports in the fall of 2020.
That ban ended at the start of this year and China’s appetite for the high-quality coal supplied by Australia is gaining momentum amid concerns that rising domestic production includes too much lower-grade fuel. Australian cargoes in April of mostly thermal coal for power plants surged 75% from the prior month to 3.89-million tons, according to Chinese customs data.