China’s March alumina exports to Russia soar as sanctions over Ukraine bite

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s alumina exports to Russia surged over 90 times in March from the same period a year earlier, customs data showed on Wednesday, as sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine cut off some of its traditional supplies.

In March, China shipped 9,949 tonnes of alumina to Russia, up from 104.5 tonnes the same month in 2021, according to the General Administration of Customs. Its total alumina exports last month soared 180% year-on-year to 12,955 tonnes.

The volume is still tiny compared with China’s monthly output of more than six million tonnes. But it came after Australia imposed an export ban on alumina and aluminium ores to Russia as part of Western-led sanctions against Moscow.

Analysts had expected Russia could source the ingredient from China, though challenges exist as China needs to fulfill its domestic demand first and may be worried about secondary sanctions from the West.

The customs data also showed China’s March imports of refined metal, scrap and ores.

Below is the table of metals imports last month, with figures in tonnes and percentage changes calculated by Reuters based on customs data for prior month and the year-earlier period.

Commodity Mar-22 m/m pct chg y/y pct chg

Copper cathodes 300,357 12.05 -11.41

Copper concentrate 2,184,257 4.89 0.60

Primary aluminium 39,433 114.97 -55.12

Alumina 189,088 -5.95 -29.50

Bauxite 11,704,488 13.58 15.79

Refined nickel 18,782 27.22 55.14

Nickel ore 1,704,405 37.09 -7.38

Nickel pig iron 430,056 32.53 28.61

Refined zinc 21,343 1162.12 -53.69

Zinc concentrate 255,865 -3.55 -29.27

Refined lead 54 177.68 -83.45

Lead concentrate 73,376 23.25 -18.76

Refined tin 1,946 1454.06 1800.72

Tin concentrate 28,986 46.73 37.28

Copper scrap 149,935 36.55 -12.83

Aluminium scrap 108,900 33.02 -4.46

Steel scrap 22,698 55 -50

(Reporting by Min Zhang and Dominique Patton; Editing by Kim Coghill)