Chinese coal traders are reported to have cut back on buying from Australia after the length of time taken by customs to clear cargoes reportedly doubled.
For least seven key rare earths - including praseodymium, used in magnets, and yttrium, used in ceramics - China was a net importer in 2018 for the first time in more than 30 years.
Producing a single metric ton of steel in a blast furnace typically releases around 2.3 tons of carbon dioxide, not much less than you’d get from burning a ton of thermal coal for energy.