Li Xinchuang, president of the China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, came to a similar conclusion, although from a different perspective.

China's imports of coking coal saw steady growth in November, according to data from General Administration of Customs.

Last month, the imports of the coking coal surged 16 percent year on year to 6.18 million tonnes, customs data showed.

Harbin, capital city of Heilongjiang Province in China's northeastern industrial heartland, is planning to further reduce its coal consumption to curb pollution.

According to a recently released coal consumption control plan of the city, Harbin plans to cut its coal consumption by 1.6 million tonnes by 2020 and another 2.6 million tonnes by 2021.