INFOGRAPHIC: China imports more iron ore in 2020 despite Covid-19

China bucked the trend among major iron ore importers by continuing to increase its purchases of the steelmaking raw material from abroad in 2020.

July 5, 2021

By Lee Allen

The country imported 1.17 billion tonnes of the iron ore last year, an increase of 9.4% compared with 2019.

European Union countries collectively accounted for the largest decrease among major iron ore importers, with purchases tumbling 20.8% year on year to 105.19 million tonnes.

Japan also imported 16.8% less iron ore in 2020, as did South Korea, which reported a 5.7% drop.

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