In September, China’s tin ore imports were 7,300 mt, month-on-month drop of 73.18%, year-on-year drop of 54.79%; cumulative imports from January to September were 179,000 mt, down 2.81% YoY.
In September, tin ingot imports were 2,924 mt, up 23.9% month-on-month and 1.46% year-on-year, and the cumulative import volume from January to September was 19,800 mt, up 4.04% year-on-year.
China barely imported tin ore from Wa State in Myanmar in September after the region banned mining in August. In contrast, imports from countries other than Myanmar grew along with expanding import profits. For example, imports from Bolivia surged to 1891.5 mt. While a small amount of tin ore was imported from Wa State recently and more will flow into China in the future, total imports are unlikely to return to normal levels seen in the past.
An open import profit window saw growing tin ingot imports in September. And as import profits continue to expand, more overseas supplies are set to flow into China.