[SMM Analysis] Apr 2026: China LiOH imports 6,689t, exports 5,535t, net import persists.

According to Chinese customs data, in April 2026, China imported 6,689 tonnes of lithium hydroxide, up 9% month-on-month and fourfold year-on-year. Among this, 2,252 tonnes came from South Korea, accounting for 34% of total imports; 1,706 tonnes from Indonesia, representing about 25%; and the remaining 40% from Australia and Chile.

In April, China exported 5,535 tonnes of lithium hydroxide, an increase of 76% month-on-month and 31% year-on-year. Of this, 3,915 tonnes were exported to South Korea and 864 tonnes to Japan.

Ongoing weak output of overseas ternary cathode materials has limited their ability to absorb offshore lithium hydroxide, leading to a modest oversupply in overseas markets and widening the price gap between domestic and international markets. At the same time, due to previously signed long-term supply agreements between overseas holders and Chinese traders, overseas holders have been able to continuously dump lithium hydroxide into the Chinese market. Taken together, these factors have driven a sustained reversal in the lithium hydroxide trade pattern (from net export to net import).