BEIJING, Sept 21 (Reuters) - China imported 6.39 million tonnes of coal from its top supplier Australia in August, down 12.8 percent year-on-year as low domestic prices squeezed imports, data from the customs authority showed on Monday.
Australian imports fell 21.8 percent compared to July. For the first eight months of the year, China's total coal imports were 48.64 million tonnes, down 20.4 percent compared to the same year-ago period.
Imports from Indonesia, China's second biggest supplier, fell 18 percent year-on-year to 2.38 million tonnes in August.
Total imports in August, excluding lower-grade lignite, reached 13.48 million tonnes, down 11.6 percent compared to the same period of last year, with demand faltering as a result of China's economic slowdown and its campaign to boost the use of cleaner fuels.