China’s primary aluminium and refined copper output rose by 1.5pc and 9.2pc, respectively, in April 2020 from a year ago amid growing concerns about a global oversupply of both non-ferrous metals. China produced 819,000mt of refined copper in April 2020 and 3.1mn mt in Jan-April, up by 2.5pc from the prior year period.
China produced 2.97mn mt of primary aluminium in April 2020. In Jan-April 2020, the country produced 11.8mn mt, up by 2.4pc from the prior-year period. China’s output of aluminium alloy in April 2020 also rose by 8.7pc to 823,000mt from April 2019. Demand for aluminium alloy in the Japanese automotive industry was low with operations shuttered due to lockdown. China’s domestic demand, however, rose . Supply of aluminium alloys from India and Pakistan also tightened. China’s output of unwrought aluminium and aluminium articles also increased by 12.5pc to 5.3mn mt during this period.
The country’s copper and copper articles output increased by 21.6pc to 1.8mn mt in April 2020, from a year ago.