China reportedly orders halt to imports of Australian coal

 China’s customs authorities have told several Chinese state-owned steelmakers and power plants to stop importing Australian coal, according to two industry newswire services.

The move comes amid ongoing tensions in the relationship between China and Australia and reportedly affects both thermal and coking coal.

The trade minister, Simon Birmingham, said the government was aware of the reports and was discussing the issue with Australia’s resources industry, which had “previously faced occasional disruptions to trade flows with China”.

Read morE: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/oct/12/china-orders-halt-to-imports-of-australian-coal