OREANDA-NEWS. January 20, 2015. Coal imports to China, the world's largest buyer, jumped by nearly a third in December compared with November to the second-highest level this year as rising domestic prices encouraged end-users to ramp up orders for cheaper overseas coal.

However, total imports for 2014 slumped 10.9 percent compared with 2013, the first annual decline in at least a decade.

That sharp fall, which came after years of robust double-digit growth, stemmed from a severe supply glut at home that prompted Beijing to roll out a raft of measures to curb imports.

China imported 27.22 million tonnes of coal in December, up 29.4 percent from November, figures from the General Administration of Customs of China showed on Tuesday. Total imports for 2014 stood at 291.22 million tonnes, compared with 327.1 million tonnes in 2013.

The jump in December shipments, which was the highest since January's imports of more than 35 million tonnes, was helped by a series of price increases by local miners as they sought a better bargaining position for 2015 term supply negotiations.

"The annual drop in imports was largely supported by the government's pressure on utilities for them to cut fourth-quarter imports by about 50 million tonnes," said Zhang Xiaojin, a coal analyst from Everbright Futures.

Zhang said the outlook for 2015 imports was uncertain as Beijing starts to roll out tougher quality restrictions on overseas shipments.

Demand usually tapers off around March and April due to seasonal factors.

China will take further action in 2015 to control coal supplies and support prices of the fuel, with the industry's outlook likely to remain poor because of overcapacity and weak economic growth, the country's coal association said this week.

The China Coal Industry Association (CCIA) said in a report on its websitethat it remained pessimistic about 2015 demand, with the economy under pressure from weak export markets and falling real estate investment