Target $18.72, page-8250

Extract AUST front page:
Coal comfort in export rebound
EXCLUSIVE
GEOFF CHAMBERS - CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
A dramatic rebound in Australian coal shipments to China following a two-year ban imposed by Beijing has fuelled a surge in thermal coal exports to Indo-Pacific countries relying on coal-fired power to keep the lights on and support heavy industry.
New figures reveal NSW coal exports to China in 2023 eclipsed pre-pandemic levels, with more than 36 million tonnes of thermal and metallurgical coal – worth about $5.7bn based on Free on Board value – shipped to the communist nation.
Data prepared by Coal Services Pty Ltd, overseen by the NSW Minerals Council and the Mining and Energy Union, shows Chinese importers last year purchased 24 per cent of the state’s coal exports after President Xi Jinping lifted restrictions banning Australian coal in 2021 and 2022.
Demand for NSW and Queensland thermal coal from Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia remains strong as developing nations and major economies import Australian coal and LNG