China's coal imports to continue upward trend

China's economy may be decelerating but coal consumption is on the rise. New coal-based power plants will drive up coal demand and imports are expected to continue their upward trend. Elevated transportation costs between the inland mining areas and the high demand coastal regions, as well as relatively low coal trading prices in the Asia-Pacific markets will continue to play a relevant role.

China's demand for coal has grown steadily over the last 10 years, reaching more than 3.5 billion tons in 2012, which represented more than half of total global consumption. Traditionally, imports have accounted for a small share of the coal utilized in the country.

Read the rest of the article in the CemWeek Magazine issue 14.