(Updating to add more detail)
BEIJING, May 8 (Reuters) - China's coal imports jumped 12.2 percent in April from a month earlier, data showed on Monday, even after Australian shipments were disrupted by a powerful cyclone and Beijing banned shipments of the fuel from North Korea.
Data from the General Administration of Customs of China showed shipments into the world's largest buyer of the fuel hit 24.78 million tonnes, up 32 percent from the same period last year.
The increase reflects a sustained pick-up in buying by utilities and steel mills of cheaper foreign coal amid a domestic coal price rally triggered by Beijing's efforts to phase out overcapacity. also suggests buyers found alternative supplies to Australia after a category four Cyclone Debbie hit the major coal-mining state of Queensland in late March, disrupting mines and shutting down most of the rail transport system. March, Russia ramped up sales to China after Beijing prohibited high-quality anthracite imports from North Korea that are typically used for steelmaking, in compliance with United Nations' sanctions against Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programme. figures include lignite, a type of coal with lower heating value that is largely supplied by Indonesia.
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