Chinese traders are halting purchases of Australian coal and coking coal as clearing times through China's customs have at least doubled to 40 days or more, four traders at major buyers say. The traders told Reuters on Monday only cargoes from Australia, the biggest supplier of the fuel to the world's top consumer, were affected. "We have stopped ordering coal from Australia because it is unknown how long the restriction will last," said a manager at a Shanghai-based trading company who usually buys around 400,000 tonnes of Australian coal every month. Customs clearance typically takes five to 20 days. Now it can be ... (full story)