Business by Melissa Iaria 7th Jan 2021 6:17 PM There were no coal shipments bound for China from two major Australian ports in December, as trade tensions between the two countries continue. The development has surprised market watchers because coal shipments traditionally rebound in December, ahead of the new calendar year when China sets its quotas for Australian coal. The trend was reflected in new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday showing Australian coal exports to China plunged from more than $823.3 million in November 2019 to $121.7 million in November 2020. The data tracks the fall of local coal exports to China over the last six months to November, from a high in of June of $1.35 billion.