BEIJING, Oct 21 (Reuters) - China imported 6.15 million tonnes of coal from top supplier Australia in September, down 22 percent compared with the same month of last year, customs data showed on Wednesday.
Australian shipments have dipped 20.6 percent over the first three quarters of the year to 54.79 million tonnes, figures from the General Administration of Customs showed, hit by a downturn in demand and a massive domestic supply surplus.
Overall imports, excluding low-grade lignite, stood at 13.14 million tonnes over the period, down 19.6 percent. For the first three quarters, total imports hit 119 million tonnes, down 30.1 percent.
Imports from Indonesia, China's second biggest supplier, fell 23 percent in September to 2.26 million tonnes. They are down 41.6 percent at 21.17 million tonnes over the first three quarters, hit by Beijing's restrictions on lower grade coal.