China Will Continue Slowdown in Australia Coal Until After Elections
- Beijing awaiting Australia’s federal elections on May 18
- China has been delaying clearance of coal through its ports
Photographer: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg
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China will maintain a slowdown in coal imports from Australia until Beijing has assessed government policy in Canberra after federal elections in May, according to people with knowledge of the plan.
Chinese Customs in January told local officials to start controlling imports of Australian coal, without giving explicit instructions as to how or why. That’s resulted in delays to clearance at some ports and additional testing at others, prompting concern that Beijing is retaliating against Australia’s ban on Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co.