Import quotas slowing down coal exports to China: Aussie Trade Minister

Australia's Minister for Trade, Simon Birmingham, said on Friday delays to exports of coal to China were caused by import quotas and not a blanket ban on Australian coal. The Australian dollar fell more than 1 per cent on Thursday after Reuters reported that customs at Dalian had banned imports of Australia's biggest export earner since the start of February.

Birmingham, however, denied Australia has been unduly treated. "We have no basis to believe that there is a ban on Australian coal exports into China, or into any part of China," Birmingham told reporters Adelaide. "The application of those quotas combined with different testing and the quality assurance and environment is testing centres, may be slowing down the processing of costing data of coal in certain parts of China."