China’s trade data for Aug’23 was impacted by weak economic growth in key industries and typhoon Doksuri. Key points: 1) Refined copper imports declined 5% YoY, while copper concentrate/ore imports rose 19% YoY as domestic producers ramped-up output amidst weak demand; 2) coal imports shot up to a record 44.3mt (up 51% YoY) on lower hydroelectric generation; 3) steel exports surged 35% YoY to 8.28mt; and 4) iron ore imports were up 11% YoY aided by the expectations of steel demand uptick from Sep’23.