Aussie coal imports remain normal, China says

SYDNEY/BEIJING • China's foreign ministry said yesterday that Australian coal imports to the country continue as normal, although it added that the Customs authorities have stepped up environmental and safety checks on foreign cargoes.

The statement came after sources at Chinese ports told Reuters that Australian coal imports were facing longer waiting times to clear Customs than other supplies, and the northern port of Dalian was halting Australian coal shipments.

This added to fears Beijing would use trade to punish Canberra amid a recent souring of bilateral ties, including banning China's Huawei from its 5G broadband network.

"At present, Customs throughout the country are accepting as normal Customs declarations for imported coal, including from Australia," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters.

But Mr Geng added the Customs authorities in China have stepped up environmental and safety checks on foreign cargoes, to "protect the rights of Chinese importing companies and the environment".

Overseas coal supplies into China, especially from Australia, have slowed for weeks, causing shipping backlogs outside key Chinese ports.

The Aussie dollar fell more than 1 per cent to a 10-day low on Thursday after Reuters reported that the Customs authorities in Dalian had banned imports of Australia's biggest export earner since the start of this month.

Seeking to ease fears of a further rift in ties with China, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday said there was nothing to suggest the move was out of the ordinary. Canberra has asked its ambassador to China to seek urgent clarification.

"People should be careful about leaping to conclusions about this," Mr Morrison told reporters in Auckland. "This is not the first time that on occasion local ports make decisions about these matters."

China is the largest buyer of Australian coal, taking 89 million tonnes last year, worth A$15 billion (S$14.4 billion), according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Australia's Minister for Trade, Mr Simon Birmingham, said delays in exports of coal to China were caused by import quotas.

"We have no basis to believe that there is a ban on Australian coal exports into China, or into any part of China," he told reporters.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 23, 2019, with the headline Aussie coal imports remain normal, China says. Subscribe