Xinhua

SEOUL -- South Korea's dependency on Chinese supplies of rare earth materials seems to have grown, driven by an increase in demand on the back of stable prices in China, customs data showed.

Imports from China jumped by 37.1 percent to 324 tons in September compared to the month before, according to a report by the Korea Customs Service.

In September, South Korea imported a total of 418 tons of rare earth materials including scandium and yttrium, up 32.8 percent from the previous month, the report showed.

About 77 percent of South Korea's imports of rare earth materials came from China, and 12.6 percent from Japan and 8.6 percent from France, according to the report.

The Korea Customs Services explained that imports from China increased greatly as a stable trend was observed in prices of rare earth materials in China.

Web link: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2011-10/27/content_13990148.htm

Coal supply and demand will keep growing at moderate pace in China, and the market will remain generally balanced in the upcoming winter and spring, an industry association said on Oct 21.

Some regions will, however, periodically see tight supply, according to the China National Coal Association (CNCA).

The coal output in the first three quarters reached 2.69 billion tonnes, and the sales volume hit 2.64 billion tonnes. Both registered a growth rate of at least 10 percent, according to CNCA.

The annual output is estimated to exceed 3.5 billion tonnes this year, compared with about 3.3 billion tonnes last year. Coal imports are expected to hit 150 million tonnes, less than last year's 164.83 million tonnes.

Domestic demand will keep rising at a moderate pace amid steady economic growth, but uncertainty in the macro economy will decelerate demand growth, predicted Wang Zhanjun, an official with CNCA.

The association said the price hike this year was modest. The current reserve volume stands at 225 million tonnes, which is adequate for 19 days of use for the country's major power producers.

Web link: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2011-10/22/content_13955458.htm

CHINA'S monthly coal imports rose to a record in September as power utilities built up stocks to meet higher demand during the winter.

Last month's purchases rose 25 percent annually to 19.1 million tons, or 15 percent from August, according to the General Administration of Customs yesterday. The previous high was 1.18 million tons in July.

Analysts said September's robust imports were due partly to power plants increasing purchases as they prepared for a two-week partial maintenance program on the key Daqin railway from September 20.

Imports in the first nine months totaled 123.4 million tons, up 1.88 percent from a year earlier and a reversal from a negative reading for January to August.

But imports may fall in the fourth quarter of the year, the analysts said, citing ample inventories and volatile prices.

The State Electricity Regulatory Commission said last week that China will see a less severe power shortfall in the coming winter season than during the summer. But the shortage could be higher than expected if coal supplies were not adequate.

China's imports of liquefied natural gas rose 17 percent from a year earlier to 1.15 million tons in September, the customs data showed. LNG buying hit a record high of 1.18 million tons in July.

Web link: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nsp/Business/2011/10/25/Coal%2Bimports%