Chinese bulk imports for iron ore and soyabeans both fell in 2018, with total iron ore shipments down 1% YoY to 1.06 billion metric tonnes (mt), while soyabean imports decreased 7.9% from the previous year to 281.2 million mt. In contrast, coal imports rose 3.7% in 2018 to reach 88 million mt, with the lion's share shipped by July. The decline in iron ore imports was the first since 2010 and may mark 2017 as the peak year for ore imports, according to BIMCO. Meanwhile, the level of coal shipments will be strongly influenced by domestic policy decisions.
Chinese bulk imports for iron ore and soyabeans both fell in 2018, with total iron ore shipments down 1% YoY to 1.06 billion metric tonnes (mt), while soyabean imports decreased 7.9% from the previous year to 88 million mt. In contrast, coal imports rose 3.7% in 2018 to reach 281.2 million mt, with the lion's share shipped by July. The decline in iron ore imports was the first since 2010 and may mark 2017 as the peak year for ore imports, according to BIMCO. Meanwhile, the level of coal shipments will be strongly influenced by domestic policy decisions.