China sugar imports climb 30 percent

China, the world's top sugar buyer, imported 360,000 tonnes of the sweetener in August, up 30.7 percent from the same period last year due to lower global prices when cargoes were purchased earlier in 2016. Chinese sugar imports have slowed overall this year on higher global prices, but a price-dip during the second quarter has boosted arrivals into the country in recent months. Prices have since recovered, however, meaning that shipments to China are expected to drop again.