Print Back to story A free trade agreement with China, the world’s biggest coal consumer, is set to bring some relief to struggling producers in Australia . China is expected to exempt the miners from import tariffs as part of the new trade accord, according to HSBC Holdings Plc. Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to address Australia’s parliament in Canberra today when the agreement is scheduled to be announced. The removal of the tariffs, designed to protect struggling Chinese mines, will help bolster margins of producers in Australia, the biggest coal exporting nation. A global glut and slowing demand growth have depressed prices, forcing companies from BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) to Glencore Plc to cut costs. “For the coal space, there’s a good chance it will mean that the tariffs recently announced by the Chinese won’t apply to Australian exports of thermal coal,” Paul Bloxham, chief Australia economist […]