Taiwan imports the largest chunk of aluminium alloy from UAE

Taiwan ranks second in per capita aluminium consumption with a rate of about 33.3 kg. The island country has seen significant demand growth for aluminium alloy on the island. The country produces about 819,000 tonnes of aluminium domestically in four main categories: Secondary Aluminium Alloy, Casting, Rolling and Extrusion Industries. C.S. Aluminium Corp., which was a subsidiary of China Steel Corp. (CSC), produces about 400,000 tonnes of aluminium products in Taiwan per year. Taiwan imports substantial amount of aluminium alloys to supplement domestic production and make value added products.

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As shown by the recent data, Taiwan imported 2,74,517 tonnes of aluminium alloy in 2015, which increased to total at 3,03,621 tonnes in 2016. Based on this statistics, for the first ten months of 2017, the volume is estimated to total at 2,31,967 tonnes. The trend shows increasing consumption of aluminium in Taiwan mostly driven by demands from the electronics sector.

The cost from aluminium alloy import was USD 596 million and USD 666 million respectively for the years 2015 and 2016. For the first ten months of 2017, the cost of import is estimated to be about USD 543 million. The estimate may change based on the trends in LME aluminium prices.

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The top exporter of aluminium alloy to Taiwan is UAE, which exports about 95,053 tonnes of aluminium alloys to Taiwan. Qatar, Bahrain and Russia also export substantial amount of aluminium alloy to Taiwan. China mostly exports semi-finished aluminium products to Taiwan and exports about 16008 tonnes of aluminium alloy to the country.

Taiwan’s GDP has increased 1.4% in 2016, strengthening from the 0.7% expansion in 2015. The government expects GDP to expand 1.9% in 2017. With the growth in GDP, aluminium consumption is expected to increase at a faster speed leading to more aluminium import in the coming years.