Anti-dumping duty

CHINA will impose anti-dumping tariffs on imports of hydroiodic acid from the United States and Japan, the Ministry of Commerce said yesterday.

The tariffs will take effect from today, with levies set at 123.4 percent on U.S. suppliers and 41.1 percent on Japanese, and will last for five years, the ministry said.

Crude imports

DAILY crude oil imports in September hit their highest level since May, customs data showed, as smaller refiners looked to shore up their inventory ahead of winter.

Shipments into the country last month stood at 37.12 million tons, or 9.05 million barrels per day (bpd), up from 9.04 million bpd in August and marking their third straight monthly rise, according to numbers from the General Administration of Customs. Total crude imports over the first nine months of the year climbed 6 percent from the same period in 2017 to 336 million tons, or 8.98 million bpd, the customs data showed.

Coal imports

COAL imports dropped sharply in August from the month before, customs data showed, after cooler weather crimped demand from utilities and as a typhoon disrupted supply.

Total arrivals last month fell 12 percent from August to the lowest since May at 25.14 million tons, data from the General Administration of Customs showed. Volumes were also down more than 7 percent from the same month last year. That came after utilities curbed buying as weather cooled earlier than normal in northern China, prompting households and businesses to turn off their air conditioners.