THE fallout for Australian coal exports from a historic climate deal between China and the United States is uncertain, says a Reserve Bank official.
However China was likely to be a large market for Australian resource exports “for some time to come”, said the head of the RBA’s economic analysis department, Alexandra Heath.
She told the NSW Mining Industry and Suppliers Conference in Sydney that the US-China deal to cut emissions was a manifestation of Beijing’s concerns about air pollution.
“The effect of policies designed to address these concerns could put downward pressure on coal consumption in China, but the implications for Australia’s coal export volumes will depend on a number of factors including relative prices and competitiveness of our producers,” she said.
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In a surprise announcement during this month’s APEC conference, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama unveiled a deal to curb emissions.
The US committed to cutting emissions by 26 per cent to 28 per cent by 2025, while China has set a goal for its emissions to peak in 2030 and has pledged a fifth of its energy will come from non-fossil fuel sources by then.
Dr Heath’s comments came after the iron ore spot price this week fell to a fresh five year low of around $US70 per tonne.
“Much of the fall in iron ore and coal prices we have seen over the past year or so is the result of increasing global supply, but recently there has also been some easing in demand associated with slower growth in Chinese steel production,” Dr Heath said.
“The resulting fall in Australia’s terms of trade is expected to weigh on household income.”
But while demand from China was slowing, it would continue to have a “huge appetite” for commodities of many kinds, she said.
Dr Heath said China’s urbanisation process had some way further to run, meaning ongoing demand for commodities to build housing, infrastructure, utilities and public buildings.
Steel use in Chinese construction had been increasing as buildings become taller and had more features, such as underground parking.
Car use in China was still very low, she said, and this was likely to become an important source of steel demand as cities and incomes grow.
“The Chinese economy is continuing to evolve in ways that will support demand for resources, and the sheer size of the economy suggests that these demand forces will, over the medium to long term, remain strong,” she said.
“Some of this demand can be satisfied by local Chinese production, but given the competitiveness of Australian production in a number of commodities, China is likely to be a large market for Australian resource exports for some time to come.”