China imported a total of 28.68 million metric tons of coal in the first eight months of 2008, down 18% on year, preliminary data from the General Administration of Customs showed Wednesday.

    China exported 3.37 million tons of coal and 1.41 million tons of coke in August, according to the data.

    China's coal exports for the January-August period totaled 33.64 million tons, up 0.3% on year, while coke exports for the same period fell 5.7% on year to 9.68 million tons.