China’s antimony concentrate imports rise in Jan-Feb

China’s antimony concentrate imports rise in Jan-Feb

Beijing, 18 April (Argus) —China’s antimony concentrate imports in January-February rose on the year, as Chinese smelters sought more concentrate supply outside of the country on concerns of depleted resources in China.

China imported 4,064t of antimony concentrate during January-February, up from 3,393t the previous year, according to Chinese customs data. Shipments were at 2,195t in January and 1,869t in February. But imports in March and April are likely to fall because of disruptions brought about by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Russia is the second-largest antimony producer after China. Russia exported 38,364t of antimony concentrate during 2020-21, with 68.2pc shipped to China. The remainder went to Vietnam, Oman, and South Korea with the countries taking 8,946t, 2,496t and 762t respectively, customs data show. China imported 988t of antimony concentrate from Russia in the first two months of this year, compared with 1,035t in the corresponding period of 2021.

Prices for 99.65pc grade metal were last assessed at 81,000-82,000 yuan/t ($12,709-12,866/t) ex-works on 14 April, stable after dipping by Yn500/t on 12 April. The decrease on 12 April came surprisingly as prices have risen continuously since early February, supported by concentrate supply tightness and renewed demand from seaborne consumers. But weak demand from domestic downstream consumers outweighed supply tightness and weighed on the market slightly last week.

China’s antimony concentrate imports?(t)

Article Retrieved from:?ArgusMetal

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