China’s appetite for many of its key commodities remained subdued in May as a cocktail of surging international prices and domestic virus restrictions, including the city-wide shutdown of Shanghai, sapped demand. Coal and gas shipments continued to languish, according to customs data on Thursday, due to milder weather, and as a weaker economy and the impact of the war in Ukraine on energy markets dissuaded importers. Crude imports were a bright spot, rising to 45.8 million tons and the highest since January, although the figure may have been inflated by more oil arriving at discounted prices from origins like Russia, Iran and Venezuela. Coal imports dropped to 20.5 million tons, lower than both April and a year earlier, with shipments also affected by strong domestic production and price controls, as well as […]