22 Jun 2010 08:13

China's refined lead, zinc, tin and nickel imports fall in first five months

Shanghai. June 22. INTERFAX-CHINA - In the first five 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 June 21.

China imported a total of 6,459 tons of refined lead from January to May, down by 94.13 percent year-on-year, while the country's imports of lead ore and concentrate also slid by 11.84 percent to 484,029 tons. China's exports of refined lead rose by 77.74 percent year-on-year to 10,569 tons in the same period.

In the five-month period, refined zinc imports stood at 122,944 tons, down 70.17 percent year-on-year, while imports of zinc ore and concentrate also dropped, down 3.59 percent year-on-year to 1.29 million tons. The country's exports of refined zinc, however, soared by 604.6 percent year-on-year to 29,507 tons.

Imports of refined nickel came to 75,222 tons in the first five months of 2010, down 4.78 percent on an annual basis, while nickel ore and concentrate imports increased by 111.55 percent year-on-year to 7.58 million tons. Exports of refined nickel and nickel alloy rose by a massive 1,368.64 percent year-on-year to 29,652 tons in the period.

The tables below show China's lead, zinc, tin and nickel imports and exports in May and the first five months of 2010. Totals given are for selected countries and regions plus unlisted countries and regions with negligible volumes.

China's imports of lead, zinc, tin and nickel, May and the first five months of 2010

Product Country or region Imports, May(tons) M-o-m change (%) Y-o-y change (%) Imports Jan - May(tons) Y-o-y change (%)
Lead
Refined lead Bulgaria 2,704 N/A 66 2,704 -14.45
South Korea 422 95.37 -88.36 2,314 -89.97
Total 3,144 1,109.23 -87.63 6,459 -94.13
Lead ore and concentrate Peru 27,822 66.57 39.29 125,840 8.45
Germany 9,392 -0.17 6.29 24,502 2.36
Kazakhstan 6,881 94.6 5,072.34 41,358 828.54
India 5,042 -27.09 -50.36 11,957 -52.74
Nigeria 4,942 -35.99 554.21 24,054 599.12
Iran 4,626 N/A -8.68 7,112 -68.95
DPRK 4,185 -2.27 -13.86 17,099 11.56
Morocco 2,267 N/A -43.31 9,450 136.28
Turkey 2,216 9.38 137.73 8,593 -41.75
Greece 3,810 101.48 -0.86 3,810 -39.39
Russia 1,860 N/A -84.33 21,609 -43.19
Sweden 1,638 -23.85 -66.27 7,599 -9.96
Brazil 1,390 N/A N/A 11,372 37.11
Poland 1,293 -29.03 11.36 5,568 -51.12
Romania 1,035 -52.11 18.89 5,535 -9.36
Australia 969 -93.03 -90 47,767 -14.19
Myanmar 873 N/A -11.36 4,280 -42.47
Bolivia 850 N/A -18.66 4,422 119.78
Total 82,022 -9.1 -24.69 484,029 -11.84
Zinc
Refined zinc Australia 18,725 53.71 -43.86 51,495 -48.84
South Korea 4,435 99.77 35.99 11,789 -74.87
Kazakhstan 2,278 N/A -84.33 18,930 -66.5
India 1,215 62 -84.54 6,766 -85.15
Japan 1,201 -77.84 -87.84 10,043 -74.6
Russia 1,000 N/A N/A 1,000 N/A
Namibia 737 -89.34 -96.21 10,121 -87.76
United States 375 76.06 N/A 692 -670.53
DPRK 299 -89.52 -85.57 6,761 -13.01
Peru 256 27.36 -28.56 457 -85.79
Total 30,611 -2.43 -67.99 122,944 -70.17
Zinc alloy Australia 5,979 -3.02 53.07 24,456 44.29
South Korea 5,096 6.41 74.74 19,684 67.08
Taiwan 1,373 -29.12 -34.38 7,115 -11.18
Japan 741 0.54 -12.78 3,440 39.57
Canada 635 4.1 28.22 2,720 18.67
Total 14,886 0.87 28.41 60,179 28.16
Zinc ore and zinc concentrate Australia 55,934 -15.78 -26.15 385,548 -5.19
Peru 52,642 36.17 -43.14 354,359 11.71
India 22,017 -45.38 N/A 92,587 205.41
Kazakhstan 12,541 19.04 14.63 45,719 -9.77
Canada 11,495 N/A -75.19 14,159 -89.42
Indonesia 11,008 N/A 4,485.52 17,486 45.84
Mongolia 8,490 -22.4 -40.53 51,009 37.77
Russia 8,125 10.51 N/A 33,223 4,238.71
Turkey 7,391 20.22 21.79 72,331 186.7
Mexico 6,935 34.9 7,274.37 44,096 -24.4
DPRK 5,482 184.19 316.7 24,340 409.78
Myanmar 5,288 64.94 34.99 26,583 215.62
Thailand 3,919 99.64 44.15 13,862 327.6
South Korea 3,295 -3.94 -79.88 13,388 -74.71
Belgium 2,759 N/A N/A 4,630 -74.15
Greece 2,346 N/A -16.75 10,729 -36.4
Pakistan 1,812 -59.82 N/A 8,578 1,819.8
Vietnam 1,158 -10.44 -14.38 12,084 93.79
Total 223,985 5.64 -25.48 1,292,402 -3.59
Tin
Refined tin Indonesia 930 -17.04 -56.91 5,317 -15.01
Bolivia 204 -42.54 1.88 1,003 11.8
Malaysia 104 -85.16 -73.51 1,508 9.19
Total 1,625 -33.13 -51.44 9,406 -25.14
Tin ore and tin concentrate Myanmar 857 143.47 922.39 1,930 510.95
Australia 128 N/A N/A 638 10.79
Total 1,140 -89.65 486.64 6,093 196.96
Nickel
Refined nickel Russia 4,768 -20.92 -32.39 25,834 11.7
Australia 1,873 -36.62 -53.68 17,488 49.58
Canada 1,673 -50.77 -58.5 12,257 -26.53
Norway 862 -50.43 -79.8 8,899 -4.8
Japan 832 -53.34 -23.11 5,291 167.02
Finland 369 -30.51 -46.05 1,457 -5.69
South Africa 225 93.97 -83.4 2,967 -47.97
Total 10,719 -35.8 -57.18 75,222 -4.78
Nickel ore and nickel concentrate Philippines 1,088,311 30.95 132.5 2,494,192 50.76
Indonesia 898,675 -8.34 125.15 4,879,698 191.52
Russia 17,649 N/A N/A 58,114 7.45
Australia 8,271 -75.52 -56.11 75,146 -24.48
United States 1,435 N/A 87.92 2,209 37.01
Total 2,014,620 9.05 126.52 7,583,588 111.55

Source: GAC

Note: Monthly changes were calculated based on figures previously released by the GAC.

China's exports of lead, zinc, tin and nickel, May and the first five months of 2010

Product Country or region Exports, May(tons) M-o-m change (%) Y-o-y change (%) Exports Jan - May(tons) Y-o-y change (%)
Lead
Refined lead Vietnam 374 -34.84 N/A 2,120 377.38
Sudan 300 N/A N/A 300 N/A
Philippines 254 N/A N/A 2,360 N/A
Singapore 197 N/A N/A 396 N/A
South Korea 108 -68.7 N/A 1,930 N/A
Malaysia 101 N/A N/A 101 N/A
Total 1,335 30.63 -22.74 10,569 77.74
Zinc
Refined zinc Taiwan 3,231 -8.75 N/A 15,195 586.78
Saudi Arabia 455 N/A N/A 2,298 N/A
South Korea 394 -21.2 N/A 5,717 200.06
Hong Kong 101 -49.25 N/A 513 N/A
Philippines 68 N/A N/A 419 N/A
Total 4,250 -20.81 42,396.8 29,507 604.6
Zinc alloy Total N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Tin
Refined tin and tin alloy India 2 N/A N/A 2 N/A
Total 2 N/A N/A 64 13.03
Nickel
Refined nickel and nickel alloy Taiwan 2,435 347.61 3,103.93 5,875 7,630.4
South Korea 2,003 6.26 N/A 11,187 3,497.17
Hong Kong 1,063 -62.52 449.92 6,113 396.92
Japan 948 79.21 N/A 1,576 N/A
India 253 -46.62 N/A 906 N/A
United States 166 N/A N/A 1,726 N/A
Singapore 158 -83.14 181.96 1,465 780.83
Total 7,118 -8 1,632.93 29,652 1,368.64

Source: GAC

Note: Monthly changes were calculated based on figures previously released by the GAC.

-XH