Is China taking iron ore from Australia?

In the January-July period, bilateral trade expanded by 34.2 percent year-on-year, with imports from Australia up by 37.4 percent, according to data from the Chinese customs. Australia is China’s main source of iron ore imports.

What percentage of iron ore goes to China from Australia?

produces to China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. China accounted for 82 per cent of Western Australia’s iron ore exports in 2016-17, followed by Japan (9 per cent), Korea (6 per cent) and Taiwan (2 per cent). China rose 5 per cent to 666 million tonnes.

Is China stockpiling iron ore?

Analysts also said China has been stockpiling huge amounts of the commodity, possibly for military use although that would only account for a fraction of what is being used. Still, many observers believe China can only tolerate high iron ore prices for so long, meaning Australia’s cash cow will not last forever.

What would happen if Australia stopped trade with China?

“First, it would mean too big a disruption to the Chinese economy.” Iron ore imports from Australia are worth $85 billion annually, and so far, the agricultural imports hit by China’s tariffs and bans are worth just $6 billion, he said. “China would not be able to make up its iron ore needs from other sources.”

How many years of iron ore does Australia have left?

The report estimated that the average remaining resource life for major Pilbara producers at 65 years, with Australia boasting an estimated 70 billion tonnes of JORC compliant iron ore resources remaining.

Does Australia buy Chinese steel?

Data from Lange Steel showed that Australia’s steel imports from China account for 30 percent of its total steel imports, while Australia only acconts for less than 1 percent of China’s steel shipment.

Does Australia import steel from China?

About one-third of Australia’s steel needs are imported, with the rest supplied by local manufacturers such as BlueScope and InfraBuild. Large volumes of the 1.6 to 2 million tonnes of imported steel come from Chinese mills.

Who owns iron ore in Australia?

Iron ore in Australia is mined mostly in two states and one territory of the six states and two territories of Australia. The two leading major producers are BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. There are twelve substantial mines in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, while smaller mines are scattered elsewhere.

How much of Australian exports go to China?

32.6%
In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, China took in about 32.6% of all Australian exports — that is about 153.2 billion Australian dollars ($116.79 billion). By far the largest export was iron ore.

Why can’t Australia make its own steel?

A combination of cheap imports, government policies, high costs, over-priced energy, the strong Australian dollar, high domestic transport costs and lack of new investment threaten to undermine the domestic steel industry.

Where does Australia get their steel from?

iron ore
Although the Australian steel manufacturing industry is now very efficient, the global market for steel is intensely competitive. Consequently, much of the steel used in Australian industries today has been produced offshore from iron ore mined in Australia.

Where does Australia get its iron ore from?

Australia is the biggest iron ore exporter to China, which gets about 60 per cent of its iron ore from down under.

How is China moving beyond Australia for its iron ore hunger?

China has a seemingly endless hunger for iron ore but the country’s relationship with one of its primary providers, Australia, has been tenuous following the political fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. We take a look at how China has been investing in other nations to meet this hunger and how it may affect the wider iron ore market.

How is China diversifying its iron ore supply?

But China’s main pathways to diversifying its iron ore supply – by using more scrap steel, opening new mines overseas, and finding new import sources and increasing domestic production of iron ore – are stacked with hurdles, analysts say.

How much does Australia trade with China per year?

For more than two decades, China and Australia have helped rapidly grow each others’ economies through a soaring trade in raw resources, especially iron ore and coal. In 2000, at the beginning of China’s economic boom, Australian exports to the country were just over 6 billion Australian dollars ($3.6 billion).