China Unlikely to Cut Coke Export Duty, Say Most Coaltrans Participants

China is unlikely to remove the 40% export duty on metallurgical coke, most participants at the Coaltrans conference in Hong Kong said on Sept. 5.

"I think it is very unlikely to happen," said Marta Jarno, director of Market Analysis at Polski Koks. "I think the Chinese government will find other ways to limit coke exports."

Jacek Rozek, sales and marketing Director of Polish coke exporter PHU Weglohut SJ, agreed. "If China removes export duties, I'm sure there will be something new to protect the market," he said.

They were echoing what participants at Coaltrans Australia said last month. China is unlikely to lift export barriers on metallurgical coke at the end of 2012 as has been widely anticipated by the industry, executives from Chinese and Indian independent coke producers said on the sidelines of the conference.