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17:24, 22-Feb-2019
China says coal imports from Australia continue as normal
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China's imports of coal, including Australian coal, continue as normal, said Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, denying a Reuters report that a Chinese port has banned Australia coal imports.
Earlier on Thursday, Reuters reported that customs in the northern Chinese port city of Dalian has banned imports of Australian coal and will cap overall coal imports from all sources to the end of 2019 at 12 million tonnes.
When asked about this report, ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that China's Australian coal imports continue as normal.
He further added that, recently, there are certain environmental problems surrounding the coal imports.
Hence, the customs administration has stepped up environment and safety checks on foreign cargoes, Geng said.