Regional Coal: China's coal exports fall 17.1% in Jan-May 2005

China's coal exports stood at 5.86 million tons in May, a decrease of 2.115 million tons or 26.5 per cent year on year, according to statistics from the country's four coal export companies, Asia Pulse reported Monday.

The monthly export volume was the smallest in recent years and the decrease speed in May was also one of the fastest in recent years.

For the January-May period, China exported 30.789 million tons of coal, a decrease of 6.35 million tons or 17.1 per cent from the same period of last year.

The pace of the decrease has been faster all the way this year, from 7.96 per cent in January to 10.3 per cent in the first quarter, 14.1 per cent in the first four months and 17.1 per cent in the first five months.

While the exports decreased, the country's coal import have also increased quickly.

According to customs statistics, Chinas coal import reached 7.28 million tons in the first four months, an increase of 2.435 million tons or nearly 50 per cent year on year.

Of the total was 1.184 million tons of power coal, 2.471 million tons of coking coal, and 3.625 million tons of anthracite.

China produced 150.96 million tons of raw coal in May, up 8.7 per cent year on year, and 753.05 million tons in January-May, up 8.8 per cent.

The January-May output growth was 9.1 percentage points lower than that in the same period of last year.(*)