Mongolian exported 33.58 million tonnes of coal to China in 2017, which is up 27.6% from 2016, while December’s exports were 2.83 million tonnes, which is down 18.6% from a year ago but up 2.5% from November.

In late February 2017, which was approximately a week after North Korea tested an IRBM (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile), China issued a ban on coal imports from the country. For the rest of the year, China only reported importing any coal from North Korea in August and September.

In 2016, China brought in more than 20 million tonnes of North Korean coal, which made it Beijing’s fourth-largest supplier after Australia, Indonesia and Mongolia.

According to Xinhau, Australian coal is considered a high-grade fuel compared to compared to coal imported from Mongolia and India. This is due to it having a lower content of sulphide and ash, which are both pollutants, and it also having a higher energy value.