North Asia cranks coal imports to fuel industry

Output uptrend: A cargo ship loaded with coal is berthed at a port in China’s Jiangsu province. Combined thermal coal imports by China, Japan and South Korea totalled 43 million tonnes in December 2022, the highest monthly tally since August 2021. — AFP

THERMAL coal imports into China, Japan and South Korea – three of the world’s largest coal users – hit their highest combined total in 16 months in December, as the North Asian manufacturing powerhouses primed their economies for growth in 2023.

Economic momentum in these countries – which collectively accounted for nearly half of all thermal coal imports in 2021 – was subdued in 2022.