Dec imports at 30.91 mln T vs Nov 32.31 mln T
2022 total imports down 9.2 at 293.2 mln T
Analysts expect China39;s 2023 coal imports steady at 2022 level

SINGAPORE, Jan 13 Reuters China39;s coal imports slipped in December from a month earlier as industrial activity slowed following a surge in COVID19 cases after Beijing39;s sudden removal of stringent pandemic controls.

The world39;s top coal consumer brought in 30.91 million tonnes of the fossil fuel last month, versus 32.31 million in November, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Friday. That was largely flat compared with 30.95 million tonnes imported in December 2021.

Millions of people have fallen ill since China abandoned its zeroCOVID strategy in early December, forcing factories to lower operations due to labour shortages and hitting coal demand for industrial use and power generation.

For 2022, coal shipments to China reached 293.2 million tonnes, down 9.2 from a year earlier, as the country boosted domestic coal production and urged utilities to sign termdeals with domestic miners to bolster its energy security.

China introduced a price cap on domestic thermal coal early last year aimed at lowering power generation costs at utilities and avoiding nationwide power shortages like those recorded in 2021.

The policy led to China39;s domestic coal prices being much lower than supplies from abroad for many months as global coal prices soared over supply concerns after the RussiaUkraine…