China's refined lead, zinc, tin and nickel imports fall in first six months
In the first six months of 2010, China's imports of refined lead, zinc, tin and nickel all dropped on an annual basis, according to figures released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on July 21.
China imported a total of 8,097 tons of refined lead from January to June, down 93.65 percent year-on-year, while the country's imports of lead ore and concentrate in the same period also slid, down 15.14 percent to 604,363 tons. China's exports of refined lead in the first six months of the year rose, however, up 36.44 percent year-on-year to 11,395 tons.
In the six-month period, refined zinc imports stood at 144,645 tons, down 69.8 percent year-on-year. Imports of zinc ore and concentrate also dropped, down 5.19 percent year-on-year to 1.51 million tons. Again, exports saw a jump, with refined zinc exports soaring by 444.09 percent year-on-year to 31,814 tons.
Imports of refined nickel came to 87,842 tons in the first six months of 2010, down 26.8 percent on an annual basis, while nickel ore and concentrate imports increased by 88.58 percent year-on-year to 9.8 million tons. Exports of refined nickel and nickel alloy rose by a massive 1,245.44 percent year-on-year to 33,602 tons in the period.
The tables below show China's lead, zinc, tin and nickel imports and exports in June and the first six months of 2010. Totals are the sum of figures for selected countries and regions plus unlisted countries and regions with negligible volumes.
China's imports of lead, zinc, tin and nickel, June and the first six months of 2010
| Product | Country or region | Imports, Jun(tons) | M-o-m change (%) | Y-o-y change (%) | Imports Jan - Jun(tons) | Y-o-y change (%) |
| Lead | ||||||
| Refined lead | Bulgaria | 1,299 | -51.96 | -38.6 | 4,003 | -24.13 |
| Total | 1,638 | -47.9 | -90.65 | 8,097 | -93.65 | |
| Lead ore and concentrate | Peru | 27,173 | -2.33 | -17.74 | 152,935 | 2.6 |
| United States | 21,202 | N/A | -21.68 | 54,581 | -24 | |
| Australia | 8,951 | 823.74 | -60.48 | 56,725 | -27.57 | |
| South Africa | 8,062 | N/A | N/A | 24,306 | 84.07 | |
| Namibia | 6,834 | N/A | 10.84 | 12,999 | -1.53 | |
| Kazakhstan | 6,446 | -6.32 | 244.76 | 47,812 | 656.06 | |
| Russia | 4,848 | 160.65 | -56.08 | 26,457 | -46.09 | |
| Honduras | 4,682 | N/A | N/A | 4,682 | N/A | |
| DPRK | 4,557 | 8.89 | -20.53 | 21,656 | 2.82 | |
| Iran | 4,315 | -6.72 | 29.02 | 11,435 | -56.44 | |
| Ireland | 3,853 | N/A | N/A | 3,853 | -30.34 | |
| South Korea | 3,375 | N/A | N/A | 7,464 | -56.34 | |
| Nigeria | 2,428 | -50.87 | 108.56 | 26,530 | 476.12 | |
| Vietnam | 2,380 | N/A | 7.05 | 3,362 | -55.27 | |
| Serbia | 1,646 | N/A | N/A | 2,557 | 22.72 | |
| Brazil | 1,412 | 1.58 | N/A | 12,784 | 54.13 | |
| Poland | 1,400 | 8.28 | -85.25 | 6,968 | -66.64 | |
| Myanmar | 1,234 | 41.35 | -20.32 | 5,514 | -38.65 | |
| Morocco | 1,021 | -54.96 | -47.76 | 10,480 | 76.03 | |
| Total | 120,396 | 46.79 | -26.22 | 604,363 | -15.14 | |
| Zinc | ||||||
| Refined zinc | Australia | 6,480 | -65.39 | -71.01 | 57,975 | -52.87 |
| Brazil | 4,246 | N/A | 709.35 | 6,754 | 1,187.42 | |
| South Korea | 3,272 | -26.22 | -14.85 | 15,062 | -70.32 | |
| Russia | 3,086 | 208.60 | N/A | 4,086 | -5.27 | |
| Japan | 2,520 | 109.83 | -76.24 | 12,562 | -74.95 | |
| India | 1,500 | 23.46 | -78.23 | 8,265 | -84.24 | |
| Total | 21,700 | -29.11 | -67.52 | 144,645 | -69.80 | |
| Zinc alloy | Australia | 6,178 | 3.33 | 26.77 | 30,616 | 40.29 |
| South Korea | 4,799 | -5.83 | 53.03 | 24,483 | 64.13 | |
| Taiwan | 1,470 | 7.06 | -23.91 | 8,604 | -13.45 | |
| Total | 15,158 | 1.83 | 23.39 | 75,343 | 27.18 | |
| Zinc ore and zinc concentrate | Australia | 79,937 | 42.91 | 179.35 | 465,407 | 6.92 |
| Peru | 45,604 | -13.37 | -33.50 | 400,019 | 3.68 | |
| Kazakhstan | 15,281 | 21.85 | 7.38 | 61,000 | -6.01 | |
| Iran | 12,310 | N/A | 1,497.68 | 26,273 | 132.18 | |
| India | 10,082 | -54.21 | N/A | 102,729 | 238.86 | |
| Russia | 9,295 | 14.40 | 295.47 | 42,519 | 1,264.44 | |
| South Korea | 7,706 | 133.87 | 32.90 | 21,085 | -64.10 | |
| Indonesia | 6,491 | -41.03 | 1,425.65 | 23,976 | 93.12 | |
| North Korea | 4,129 | N/A | 178.24 | 28,469 | 354.88 | |
| Turkey | 3,528 | -52.27 | -65.32 | 75,948 | 114.53 | |
| Mongolia | 3,257 | -61.64 | -81.03 | 54,266 | 0.12 | |
| Morocco | 2,734 | N/A | -13.05 | 13,938 | -44.41 | |
| Vietnam | 2,699 | 133.07 | 3.12 | 14,783 | 66.98 | |
| Serbia | 2,484 | N/A | N/A | 4,474 | N/A | |
| Greece | 1,856 | -20.89 | -1.05 | 12,586 | -32.86 | |
| Thailand | 1,433 | -63.43 | -7.14 | 15,248 | 218.67 | |
| Argentina | 1,414 | N/A | N/A | 1,629 | N/A | |
| Nigeria | 1,051 | N/A | 84.84 | 3,657 | 181.83 | |
| Total | 213,775 | -4.56 | -13.95 | 1,506,441 | -5.19 | |
| Tin | ||||||
| Refined tin | Indonesia | 866 | -6.88 | -30.81 | 6,183 | -17.65 |
| Bolivia | 203 | -0.49 | N/A | 1,206 | 34.4 | |
| Taiwan | 123 | N/A | -19.83 | 467 | -18.19 | |
| Total | 1,435 | -11.69 | -24.25 | 10,841 | -25.02 | |
| Tin ore and tin concentrate | Bolivia | 543 | N/A | 174.19 | 2,991 | 180.64 |
| Australia | 522 | N/A | N/A | 1,159 | 101.38 | |
| Myanmar | 155 | -81.91 | 21.46 | 2,084 | 370.36 | |
| Total | 1,295 | 13.6 | 188.05 | 7,389 | 195.42 | |
| Nickel | ||||||
| Refined nickel | Russia | 4,870 | 2.14 | -67.54 | 30,704 | -19.48 |
| Canada | 2,719 | 62.52 | -27.9 | 14,975 | -26.78 | |
| Australia | 1,783 | -4.81 | -84.7 | 19,271 | -17.46 | |
| Norway | 753 | -12.65 | -85.94 | 9,651 | -34.35 | |
| Finland | 661 | 79.13 | -59.28 | 2,118 | -33.15 | |
| Japan | 538 | -35.34 | -58.06 | 5,829 | 78.52 | |
| North Africa | 527 | 134.22 | -48 | 3,494 | -47.97 | |
| China | 523 | N/A | 52,245.10 | 627 | 891.63 | |
| Total | 12,619 | 17.73 | -69.23 | 87,842 | -26.8 | |
| Nickel ore and nickel concentrate | Philippines | 1,328,188 | 22.04 | 46.05 | 3,821,535 | 49.06 |
| Indonesia | 876,937 | -2.42 | 37.9 | 5,731,931 | 148.16 | |
| Spain | 25,072 | N/A | -0.86 | 48,304 | -34.9 | |
| Australia | 9,149 | 10.62 | -70.35 | 84,295 | -35.34 | |
| Russia | 5,983 | -66.1 | N/A | 64,096 | 18.51 | |
| Total | 2,246,464 | 11.51 | 39.18 | 9,803,975 | 88.58 |
Source: GAC
Note: Monthly changes were calculated based on figures previously released by the GAC.
China's exports of lead, zinc, tin and nickel, June and the first six months of 2010
| Product | Country or region | Exports, Jun(tons) | M-o-m change (%) | Y-o-y change (%) | Exports Jan - Jun(tons) | Y-o-y change (%) |
| Lead | ||||||
| Refined lead | Vietnam | 374 | 0 | N/A | 2,494 | 461.62 |
| South Korea | 300 | 177.78 | 49.14 | 2,230 | 1,009.14 | |
| Philippines | 151 | -40.55 | N/A | 2,512 | N/A | |
| Total | 825 | -38.2 | -65.68 | 11,395 | 36.44 | |
| Zinc | ||||||
| Refined zinc | Thailand | 2,057 | N/A | N/A | 2,057 | N/A |
| Philippines | 251 | 269.12 | N/A | 670 | N/A | |
| Total | 2,308 | -45.69 | 39.06 | 31,814 | 444.09 | |
| Zinc alloy | Total | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Tin | ||||||
| Refined tin and tin alloy | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Nickel | ||||||
| Refined nickel and nickel alloy | South Korea | 1,383 | -30.95 | 1181.15 | 12,570 | 2,900.42 |
| Taiwan | 802 | -67.06 | 4121.78 | 6,677 | 6,928.67 | |
| Netherland | 582 | N/A | N/A | 1,035 | N/A | |
| United States | 511 | 207.83 | N/A | 2,237 | N/A | |
| India | 181 | -28.46 | N/A | 1,087 | 4,498.77 | |
| Japan | 164 | -82.70 | N/A | 1,740 | N/A | |
| Hong Kong | 164 | -84.57 | -30.02 | 6,277 | 328.60 | |
| Total | 3,950 | -44.51 | 725.55 | 33,602 | 1,245.44 |
Source: GAC
Note: Monthly changes were calculated based on figures previously released by the GAC.
- KY