BEIJING, Dec 21 (Reuters) - China imported 6.23 million tonnes of coal from top supplier Australia in November, down 24.3 percent from the same month last year, customs data showed on Monday.
Australian shipments have dipped 23.7 percent over the first 11 months of the year to 65.1 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 12.42 million tonnes last month, down 27.45 percent. For the first 11 months, total imports hit 141.72 million tonnes, down 31.1 percent.
Imports from Indonesia, China's second biggest supplier, fell 44.4 percent in November to 1.98 million tonnes. They are down 39.9 percent at 25.2 million tonnes over the first 11 months, hit by Beijing's restrictions on lower grade coal.