China’s coal imports in the first half of 2014 grew just 0.9%, compared with 13.3% a year earlier. The WSJ’s Ramy Inocencio speaks with Beijing reporter Wayne Ma on the trend’s winners and losers. China’s once insatiable appetite for coal is cooling, raising questions about mining companies’ big bets on new projects. Beijing’s figures on coal imports and domestic production this year indicate sharply weaker demand, which experts say stems from slowing growth in the world’s No. 2 economy. Longer term, factors including new policies to curb air pollution by limiting coal use are likely to keep growth in coal consumption far below the double-digit increases of the past. The slowdown already is affecting the production plans of companies in Australia , China’s largest overseas supplier. “If the economy can speed up again, I think the situation for coal will be better because demand from small factories and small […]