(IDEX Online) - China's diamond trade is heading for a record year in 2021, says the Shanghai Diamond Exchange (SDE).Total imports and exports of rough and polished diamonds through the SDE were $5.718bn from January to September and are likely to top $6bn by the year end. By comparison, in 2018, the busiest year ever for the Chinese diamond industry, total trade was $5.784bn.Net imports of polished diamonds for the three quarters were $2.316bn, up 59.3 per cent on pre-Covid 2019. That figure is predicted to approach $3bn for the full year, a record high since SDE (pictured) was founded in 2000.Import of rough diamonds for the first three quarters were $49.962m, up 124 per cent on 2019."Due to the impact of pandemic on international travel, a large part of overseas jewelry consumption by Chinese tourists has shifted back to domestic market," said Lin Qiang, president of the SDE."Furthermore, the Chinese government has been strengthening its anti-smuggling and anti-money laundering efforts this year, which has played a positive role in promoting the entry of diamonds into the Chinese market through the legal import channel of SDE."