Alumina exports rise 28% YoY in Mar

Indonesia's alumina sector is positioned for significant export growth as recent market data reveals a substantial price advantage over international benchmarks, with current trading showing a notable discount compared to China's reference price. Market analysts indicate this competitive positioning could mark a turning point for Indonesia's ambitions to become a major player in the global alumina market.

China’s imports of primary aluminium surged 4060% from a year earlier to 123,500 mt in June, customs data showed on Sunday July 26, as traders stepped up importing on lower prices overseas.

Strong domestic demand for aluminium will likely sustain till mid-June in China, before the arrival of a traditional slack season weighs on overall downstream consumption, according to SMM chief aluminium analyst Frank Liu. 

China's imports of bauxite, the main ore source of aluminium and which has to be first refined into alumina, rose to a record high in the March quarter, due to greater demand and lower sea freight costs.

China’s imports of copper ore and concentrate increased about 14% to 2.03 million mt in April from a month earlier, according to data from China’s General Administration of Customs released on Thursday.

China’s imports of aluminium scrap expanded in March, as secondary aluminium producers in the country rushed to fulfill backlogged orders after suspending production for more than a month due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Data from China customs showed that China imported 77,000 mt of aluminium scrap last month, down 39.1% from March 2019. That brought total imports in the first three months of 2020 to 199,000 mt, down 40.1% from the same period last year.

In Sep, China imported 114,000 mt of aluminium scrap, down 19.1% month on month but up 17.5% year on year

China imported 6.75 million mt of bauxite in Sep, down 21.86% month on month and 2.08% year on year

China exported 60,000 mt of silicon metal in Aug