China's coal exports plunge in Jan

China exported 1.82 million tons of coal in January, down 50 percent year-on-year, the General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday. The number for exported coke is 40,000 tons, a 53 percent decrease.

The amount of imported iron ore in the first month of this year is 46.62 million tons, decreasing 25 percent month-on-month, but compared with the same period last year, the amount grew by 43 percent.

The export of steel in January grew 51 percent over the same period last year to 2.89 million tons; and the import of steel enjoyed a 55 percent year-on-year growth, amounting to 1.35 million tons.

China imported 17.11 million tons of crude oil last month, growing 33.4 percent year-on-year.

As for oil products, China's export in January increased by 139 percent compared with last year's same period, which makes the number to 2.7 million tons.