China imports 4.29 mln tons of copper in 2009
Shanghai. January 11. INTERFAX-CHINA - China imported 4.29 million tons of unwrought copper (copper cathode, copper anode and copper alloy) and semi-finished copper products in 2009, a 62.7 percent expansion on an annual basis, according to preliminary statistics released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Jan. 11.
Unwrought copper and semi-finished copper product imports in December increased by 27.3 percent month-on-month to 369,368 tons.
Imports of unwrought aluminum (primary aluminum and aluminum alloy) and aluminum semi-finished products reached 2.32 million tons during the twelve-month period, jumping by 164.1 percent from the same period last year. Such imports in December decreased by 3.03 percent from the previous month to 117,016 tons.
The country also imported 5.14 million tons of alumina in the whole year of 2009, up 12.1 percent from 2008.
Meanwhile, China's exports of unwrought aluminum in the period dropped by 63.1 percent on an annual basis to 310,240 tons.
The tables below show China's copper, aluminum and alumina imports, as well as aluminum exports in December and the whole of 2009.
China's copper, aluminum and alumina imports, December and the whole of 2009
| Item | Imports, Dec 2009 (tons) | M-o-m change (%) | Imports, Jan - Dec 2009 (tons) | Y-o-y change (%) |
| Unwrought copper and copper semis | 369,368 | 27.3 | 4,290,259 | 62.7 |
| Copper scrap | 440,000 | 46.67 | 4,000,000 | -28.3 |
| Alumina | 350,000 | 25 | 5,140,000 | 12.1 |
| Unwrought aluminum and aluminum semis | 117,016 | -3.03 | 2,320,800 | 164.1 |
| Aluminum scrap | 310,000 | 24 | 2,630,000 | 21.9 |
Source: GAC
Note: Monthly changes are based on figures previously released by the GAC.
China's aluminum exports, December and the whole of 2009
| Item | Exports, Dec 2009 (tons) | M-o-m change (%) | Exports, Jan - Dec 2009 (tons) | Y-o-y change (%) |
| Unwrought aluminum | 64,720 | 70.25 | 310,240 | -63.1 |
Source: GAC
Note: Monthly changes are based on figures previously released by the GAC.
-LCL