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China's crude imports reached a record high 381 million tonnes, up 13.6% or by 912,000 bpd over 2015, marking the strongest annual growth by volume on record - perhaps the best sign of the strength of the rebound in the Chinese economy. China's coal imports eased slightly in December from November but were still up more than 50% from a year ago at 26.84 million tonnes.For 2016, China's coal imports surged 25.2% from a year earlier to 255.5 million tonnes, reflecting China's campaign to reduce overcapacity in the domestic coal sector which created a shortage of coal for steelmaking and power generation.

That rebound was not seen as a year ago, as analysts confidently forecast another slide in imports, and falling prices, and more price pressures for iron ore. Copper imports rose to 490,000 tonnes in December from 380,000 tonnes previously. For the year, as a whole copper imports increased by 2.9%, and at 4.95 million tonnes, the highest annual figure on record. China's trade surplus in December fell to $US40.82 billion from $US44.61 billion the previous month, falling short of a median forecast for a $US48.30 billion surplus.