BEIJING, Oct. 15 -- China's bulk commodity imports expanded in the first nine months of 2023, data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed.

During this period, the country's imports of energy products including crude oil, natural gas and coal surged 31.8 percent from a year earlier to 860 million tonnes, the GAC data revealed.

Imports of metals, including iron and aluminum, grew by 7.8 percent year on year to about 1.09 billion tonnes in the first nine months, according to the GAC data.