China’s demand surge fuels Guinea’s H1 bauxite exports to almost 100Mt in just 6 months
Guinea’s bauxite exports saw yet another hike in Q2 2025, bringing the total export volume in H1 to 99.8 million tonnes, driven by strong Chinese demand that outweighed the impact of regulatory constraints. In comparison with H1 2024, the export volume recorded an annual hike of 36 per cent from 73.4 million tonnes.
In Q1 2025, Guinea exported 48.6 million tonnes of bauxite, which rose 5.4 per cent Q-o-Q to 51.2 million tonnes in the second half of 2025.
China's leading state-owned aluminium producer, CHALCO, exported approximately 8.9 million tonnes of bauxite from Guinea in the first half of 2025. Complementing this, CDM-CHINE, a joint venture between a Chinese firm and the Guinean government, shipped around 4.1 million tonnes and SPIC contributed 1.8 million tonnes.
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Port diversification also supported export growth, with nine active facilities handling exports.Dapilon/Katougouma led 30 per cent of the shipments, followed by Kokaya at 25 per cent, helping to reduce the pressure at the traditional Kamsar hub.
China, the largest importer of bauxite from Guinea, sourced 79.67 million tonnes from Guinea, up by 41.7 per cent Y-o-Y, accounting for 80 per cent of Guinea’s total bauxite exports and 77.05 per cent of China’s total imports, which stood at 103.4 million tonnes, showed SMM based on the data revealed by the National Bureau of Statistics. China’s cumulative bauxite imports saw a year-on-year surge of 34 per cent.
China’s bauxite imports from its two other major sources like Australia and Turkey stood at 16.47 million tonnes and 2.08 million tonnes, respectively, accounting for 15.93 per cent and 2.02 per cent of the total imports. Imports from Australia grew by 7.1 per cent Y-o-Y.
The increase in China’s cumulative bauxite imports was primarily driven by the increased demand for primary aluminium production, which, according to IAI, stood at 22 million tonnes in H1 2025, up by 3 per cent from 21.3 million tonnes a year ago.
Despite stricter mining regulations imposed by Guinea's military-led government, which led several companies to suspend operations entirely, bauxite demand continued to rise. Notably, firms such as SBG, GAC and KIMBO reported zero exports during this period, while Kambia Bauxite Mining remained inactive.
The effects of the regulatory crackdown were reflected in the export data. While major Chinese players sustained stable shipment volumes, smaller operators faced significant operational challenges. The robust growth in exports was also contributed to by port diversification, with nine active facilities handling the exports.
The Guinean government has intensified pressure on bauxite producers to shift from raw material exports to local refining, marking a policy shift after decades of upstream dependence. This move has sparked disputes, with some companies losing their licences for failing to meet the mandated refinery construction deadlines.
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