China imports of major commodities look strong, but lack details

Cold season: Aerial photo of a cargo ship loaded with coal berthing at a port in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. Coal imports looked strong in November, rising to 32.3 million tonnes from October’s 29.18 million in preparation for winter. — AFP

CHINA’S imports of major commodities in November appeared unambiguously strong, but delving into the details shows a more nuanced picture amid ongoing uncertainty.

Imports of energy commodities crude oil, natural gas, coal all showed strong gains from the prior month, as did metals such as copper and iron ore, according to official data released on Wednesday.