Australia, Brazil and India remained the largest iron ore suppliers to China in 2009, but China's imports from South Africa, Ukraine and Canada more than doubled last year from a year earlier, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

China imported 34.13 million tonnes of iron ores from South Africa in 2009, a rise of 140 percent year on year, said a document posted at the GAC's website.

Last year, China's imports of iron ores from Ukraine and Canada stood at 11.58 millions tonnes and 8.65 million tonnes, up 150 percent and 130 percent, respectively.

Australia, Brazil and India remained the three largest iron ores suppliers to China last year.

Imports from Australia rose 42.9 percent to 260 million tonnes. Brazil exported 140 million tonnes to China, up 41.5 percent. Imports from the two nations accounted for 64.4 percent of China's total iron ore imports in 2009, said the GAC document.

China's imports from India rose 18 percent to 110 million tonnes last year, accounting for 17.1 percent of China's total iron ore imports.

China's imports of iron ores in 2009 rose 41.6 percent year on year to hit 630 million tonnes, a record high. The average price was 79.9 U.S. dollars per tonne, down 41.7 percent from the previous year.

The iron ore imports cost the world's third largest economy 50.14 billion U.S. dollars last year, down 17.4 percent.

The document attributed rising ore imports in 2009 to quick recovery of China's steel production, insufficient domestic supply and increasing iron ore stockpiles by importers.

In 2009, China's iron and steel output rose 18.5 percent to 692.4 million tonnes. Crude steel output increased 13.5 percent to 567.8 million tonnes.

A total of 235 China-based companies imported iron ores in 2009, a drop of 28 in comparison with that of 2008.

State-owned enterprises imported about 400 million tonnes of iron ores in 2009, an increase of 14.3 percent from year on year, which accounted for 64.4 percent of the nation's total iron ore imports.

Privately-owned and foreign-funded enterprises imported 87.44 million tonnes and 70.61 million tonnes, soaring 99.7 percent and 95.8 percent from the previous year, respectively.