News

On March 26, the signing ceremony for the cooperation between Nanning Industrial Investment Group and Shanghai Dinghao New Material Technology Co., Ltd., along with the unveiling ceremony of Nanning Dinghao New Material Technology Co., Ltd., was held at the Chanto Aluminum-Based New Materials Xingning Industrial Park. Shanghai Dinghao New Materials is expected to invest 500 million yuan to build in Nanning a base project with an annual capacity of 60,000 mt of high-performance carbon-coated aluminum foil for new energy batteries.

On March 26, Dianjiang County held a signing event for investment promotion projects in Q1 2026, with a total of 28 projects signed and an agreed amount of 8.12 billion yuan. Among them, the project for the annual production of 50,000 mt of secondary aluminum and aluminum products processing planned to build 10 production lines for aluminum smelting and deep processing. After completion and commissioning, it could achieve an annual output value of 1.25 billion yuan and tax revenue of more than 10 million yuan.

According to a March 21 report, Ali Al Baqali, CEO of Aluminum Bahrain, said that as the traditional export route to global markets via the Strait of Hormuz was essentially closed, the company was transshipping aluminum products exports through Jeddah Port in Saudi Arabia. Al Baqali said that although the company had declared force majeure and cut production, about 40 to 60 of its exports were currently being transshipped through Saudi Arabia, and transportation costs had not risen significantly. Alba is the world's largest single-site aluminum smelter. Jeddah is located on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, about 1,400 kilometers by land from Alba's plant.

On March 26, the 580,000 mt aluminum construction project of Wanji Aluminum Industry (Xinjiang) Co., Ltd. commenced. It is understood that the project adopts an EPC model integrating design, procurement, and construction, with a total investment of approximately 4.595 billion yuan, and is expected to be completed and commissioned in July 2027. Upon completion, the project will become a modern aluminum production site integrating green production, intelligent management and control, and full-chain supporting facilities, improving the entire industry chain from alumina and aluminum to deep aluminum processing.

Australia’s Resources Minister Madeleine said on Thursday that France is one of the countries prepared to invest in Australia’s critical minerals projects. Earlier, a framework agreement signed between Canberra and the US prompted countries with advanced manufacturing industries to secure access to critical minerals supplies. Australia has launched a four-year plan aimed at building industries for minerals such as rare earths. These minerals are vital to future technologies such as electronics and national defense. Madeleine said: “Since signing the framework agreement with the US, some other partners have also accelerated this work, because they are also ensuring that they can secure access to critical minerals.” “France is becoming increasingly active,” she said.

On March 24, construction officially commenced on the 100kt-per-year deep-processing project for aluminum veneer panels in Tianlin County at the Guiqian (Tianlin) Economic Industrial Park. The project is invested in and developed by Guangxi Zhuoyuan Aluminum Technology Co., Ltd., with a total investment of 1 billion yuan, and is a comprehensive production site for construction-grade aluminum integrating R&D and manufacturing. The project will be built in two phases: Phase I covers about 36 mu and is expected to produce 50kt of aluminum coil annually; after commencing operations, it is expected to generate annual output value of 1.2 billion yuan.

On March 23, 2026, in the Ma'ai Eco-Aluminum Industrial Park of Debao County, the aluminum-based new materials project with an annual output of 120,000 mt and supporting works, with a total investment of 150 million yuan, officially broke ground. The project is expected to involve a total investment of more than 150 million yuan. Upon completion, it will form core capacity for an annual output of 120,000 mt of high-end specialty aluminum alloys. The company will accelerate project construction at full speed to ensure completion of foundation works and equipment installation by the end of September, mark the National Day, conduct ignition hot testing, and officially start production before the end of 2026.

On March 27, at the “Forum on Innovative Development of Cross-Border Data Flows” of the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference, CAAM and the Beijing Representative Office of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Cross-Border Automotive Data Flows and Advancing High-Quality Industry Development. Upholding the principles of complementary advantages, resource sharing, mutually reinforcing development, and win-win cooperation, the two sides will strengthen policy exchanges in the field of cross-border automotive data flows, promote innovative applications of digital technologies to empower cross-border automotive data flows, facilitate positive interaction between regulatory authorities and industry stakeholders, and provide automakers with more opportunities for cooperation and development.

As of March 24, the operating rate of 50 electric-furnace steel mills nationwide mainly producing construction materials was 40.42%, up 1.78% WoW from the previous period; the capacity utilization rate was 41.75%, up 1.88% WoW from the previous period; and daily average production of construction materials was 93,000 mt, up 4,200 mt WoW.

The iron ore futures rose in early trading before gradually retreating during the day. The main contract I2605 ultimately closed at 812 yuan/ton, down 0.49% from the previous trading session.

[SMM Nickel Flash] March 27 News: The SMM high-grade NPI market sentiment factor was 2.2, down 0.01 MoM; the upstream sentiment factor for high-grade NPI was 2.84, down 0.02 MoM; and the downstream sentiment factor for high-grade NPI was 1.56, flat MoM.

[SMM Nickel Flash] This week, auxiliary material prices were generally stable with slight rise, while market sentiment in the coking coal and coke markets improved, and coke producers showed a stronger willingness to increase prices. Ore side, Philippine ore prices edged lower, while Indonesian nickel ore prices continued to rise. Meanwhile, downstream high-grade NPI prices remained under pressure, and amid cost uncertainties caused by high freight rates and geopolitical conflicts, smelter profit margins were squeezed.