China's aluminum imports continue their upward trend for the fifth month

According to China Customs, imports of products containing unprocessed aluminum and aluminum alloys increased by 5.8% month-on-month and 78.7% year-on-year to 351,065, driven by strong demand in October, which is expected to reduce supply in October. The domestic market and increased appetite for purchasing reached metric tons.

This increase was also influenced by the fact that the aluminum smelters in the south-western province of Yunnan began to reduce their capacities by a total of 1.15 million tons at the beginning of November. Yunnan is China's fourth largest aluminum producing region, accounting for around 12% of the country's total capacity.

Parallel to the increase in China's aluminum imports, imports of the light metal rose by 27.5% in the first 10 months compared to the same period in 2022, reaching 2.39 million tons.

Additionally, China's primary aluminum imports from Russia have also increased noticeably. Imports from Russia rose 191% to 806,253 tonnes in the first nine months of this year, which may reflect a significant change among China's aluminum suppliers.