China’s imports of unwrought copper and copper articles rose by 13pc in March and by 9.1pc in the Jan-March 2020 period from the prior-year period, amid a shortage of copper scrap and growing demand after the country resumed operations which were shut due to the spread of COVID-19. Iron ore imports, however, dropped in March by 0.6pc due to surplus inventories.
China’s exports of unwrought aluminium and aluminium products dropped by 5pc in March, and by 17.5pc in the Jan-March 2020 period, from the prior-year period amid low demand in the automotive sector and lockdowns in importing countries due to COVID-19. Steel product exports also dropped by 2.4pc in March for similar reasons.
| China imports | March 2020 (mt) | March 2019 (mt) | % change | Q1 2020 (mt) | Q1 2019 (mt) | % change |
| Iron ore + concentrates | 85.91mn | 86.42mn | -0.6 | 262.7mn | 259.3mn | 1.3 |
| Copper ore + concentrates | 1.779mn | 1.767mn | 0.7 | 5.547mn | 5.573mn | -0.5 |
| Unwrought copper + articles | 441,926 | 391,000 | 13 | 1.287mn | 1.179mn | 9.1 |
| China exports | March 2020(mt) | March 2019(mt) | % change | Q1 2020 (mt) | Q1 2019 (mt) | % change |
| Steel products | 6.48mn | 6.33mn | 2.4 | 14.3mn | 17.0mn | -16 |
| Unwrought aluminium + products | 518,594 | 546,200 | -5 | 1.19mn | 1.44mn | -17.5 |