China alumina import in May drops due to weak domestic demand; export up by 22% YoY

Alumina import in China dropped significantly in May this year as demand slowed down among domestic smelters post environmental protection checks conducted by the regional governments over the last two months. Total alumina import in May stood at 139,571 tonnes, down 20.4 per cent from the previous year, showed data released by the General Administration of Customs, China on June 23.

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The total volume of alumina imported by China in the first five months of 2017 was also down by 13.4 per cent at 1.3 million tonnes. The country imported its major chunk of alumina requirement (in excess of domestic output) from Australia and Indonesia. China’s alumina import from Australia, though down by 43.3 per cent year-on-year totalled the highest at 67,818 tonnes; alumina import from Indonesia surged to reach 63,632 tonnes in May.

Following graph represents China’s alumina import volume reached in Q1 of FY 2016-2017 versus Q1 of FY 2017-2018, as well as Q2 FY 2016-2017 versus Q2 FY 2017-2018 (estimated):

China has been constantly diversifying its sources of bauxite and alumina based on how conducive the macro-economic factors are in the international market. In May, its alumina import from France grew by 82.07 per cent, the highest among all countries, to reach 2,087 tonnes. During January-May 2017, the total alumina import from the country increased by 64 per cent to reach 8,525 tonnes.

Other major countries from where China sourced its alumina in May 2016 include South Korea, the US, Austria, and Taiwan. Alumina imports from India shrunk by 94 per cent year-on-year to total at only 1,795 tonnes in May. Total imports during January-February were estimated at 126,597 tonnes, down 16.7 per cent year-on-year.

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Coming to alumina exports, China shipped 4,650 tonnes of alumina (+21.9% YoY) to the international destinations in May 2017. During January-May 2017, alumina exports were down by 44 per cent at 24,109 tonnes.

The major countries where China exported its alumina in the periods under review were Japan, South Korea, the US, Russia, and Vietnam.