In the January-March period this year, China imported 310.125 million mt of iron ore, up 5.5 percent year on year, as announced by the Chinese customs authorities.
In March alone, China imported 100.718 million mt of iron ore, up 3.3 percent month on month, while rising by 0.5 percent year on year.
In March, import iron ore prices moved on a downward trend, while they rebounded following Tomb Sweeping Day amid improved demand.
Market analysts said that market players had expected that steelmakers’ demand for iron ore would surge in March, resulting in rising imports during the month. However, the actual demand for imported iron ore was slacker than expected, contributing to the declining trend of prices in March.