(Bloomberg) -- China’s coal imports in February tumbled 42 percent from the prior month as the world’s top buyer stalled custom clearances of shipments from Australia, sparking speculation it was retaliating politically against one of its biggest suppliers.

• Shipments dropped to about 630,036 tons a day from 1.08 million in January, which was the highest since 2014, according to Bloomberg calculations based on customs data released Friday.
  • Total overseas purchases in the first two months gained 3.8 percent from a year ago to 51.1 million tons.

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• China’s natural gas imports declined, snapping a run of record purchases since the winter heating season began in November.
  • Shipments fell to about 7.57 million tons last month from 9.81 million in January.
  • Gas imports during January and February were 19 percent higher year-on-year.

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