BEIJING, September 8. /TASS/. Chinese companies reduced their overseas coal purchases by 12.2% in January-August year-on-year to 299.93 mln tons, the General Administration of Customs of China reported.

In value terms, coal supplies to China fell by 34.8% in the reporting period to $22.22 bln, according to figures released. That said, coal imports in August gained almost 20% month-on-month and reached 42.73 mln tons.

Russia is one of the leading coal exporters to China. According to Chinese customs, in 2024, supplies of this energy source to China from Russia amounted to about 88 mln tons. As noted by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, a slight decrease in coal supplies to China is expected in 2025.

In 2023, China increased coal imports by 61.8%, according to data provided by the country’s customs service. In 2024, China's purchases of this energy source from other countries rose by 14.4% to 542.69 mln tons.