Coal production in China falls by 4.1 percent in January-March

(MENAFN) Official data released by the National Bureau of Statistics reveals that China's raw coal production experienced a notable decline of 4.1 percent year on year, reaching 1.11 billion tonnes in the first quarter of the current year. This reduction in output reflects ongoing shifts and challenges within the coal mining industry, as factors such as changing market demand and government policies influence production levels.

The downward trend in raw coal output persisted into the month of March, with production registering a 4.2 percent year-on-year decrease. This suggests that the challenges facing the coal mining sector are not isolated incidents but rather part of a broader trend that extends over multiple months.

Despite the decrease in domestic production, China's reliance on coal imports saw a notable increase during the January-March period. According to the data, the country imported a total of 120 million tonnes of coal during this timeframe, representing a significant uptick of 13.9 percent compared to the same period last year. This surge in imports may be attributed to various factors, including efforts to meet domestic demand, address supply shortages, or take advantage of favorable pricing conditions in the global coal market.

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