BEIJING, Jan 23 (Reuters) - China's December coal imports from North Korea were up 13.2 percent from the same month a year earlier at 2.0 million tonnes, customs data showed on Monday.
The unexpected gain came after China's Commerce Ministry said it would put a temporary ban on imports of North Korean coal in line with U.N. Security Council sanctions. imports from Australia in December rose 17.3 percent from a year earlier to 6.76 million tonnes, while Indonesia supply surged 50 percent to 4.63 million tonnes, the customs said.