Chinese traders are importing more coal from neighboring countries such as Russia and Mongolia; this comes following the disruption caused by the pandemic and seismic shifts in the supply chain.

Last September, Mongolia replaced Australia as the top coking coal supplier to China. This has caused chaos for Australia as over 70 of its bulk carriers have been unable to offload their coal in Chinese ports.

The rise of imports from Mongolia is being facilitated by increased shipping capacity thanks to the launch of the China-Mongolia “green channel” in August, which aims to boost bilateral trade and economic cooperation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.