BEIJING: China's coal imports in August rose 35.8% from a year ago as buyers rushed to source the dirty fuel from overseas due to tight domestic supply and strong demand.

China, the world's biggest coal consumer, brought in 28.05 million tonnes of coal last month, down from 30.18 million tonnes in July but well above 20.66 million tonnes in August last year, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Tuesday.

Over the first eight months, China imported a total of 197.69 million tonnes of coal, down 10.3% year-on-year.