Mongolian imports fell to an eight-month low in December as the country’s first local transmission of Covid-19 cases in the previous month compelled stricter checks at the Chinese border crossings, largely reducing the number of trucks passing daily. Mongolian imports for the whole of 2020 fell by 30 percent on the previous year.

China’s December coking coal imports fell to the lowest level in 2020 as Australian shipments dropped to zero because of an informal import ban, while Chinese mills ramped up offtake of non-Australian origin coal.

China imported 3.57 million tonnes of coking coal last month, down by 4 percent from 3.72 million tonnes in November but up by 110 percent from December 2019, according to Chinese customs data. The country’s overall 2020 imports fell by 3 percent on the year.