Profits of large-scale non-ferrous metal industrial enterprises in the first quarter increased by 40.7% year-on-year
On April 29th, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association held a press conference on the economic operation of the nonferrous metals industry in the first quarter of 2025 in a hybrid format of offline and online. Chen Xuesen, a member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee, vice president and spokesperson of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, answered questions from media reporters and enterprise representatives together with the heads of relevant departments. The following is the Q&A record.
Xinhua News Agency: The government work report proposed to cultivate and expand emerging industries and future industries. Emerging industries require product and technological support based on non-ferrous metal elements. In recent years, what are the major breakthroughs in technological innovation in the industry? Please select one or two highlights to focus on. Green and low-carbon technologies will become a new competitive high ground in the non-ferrous metals industry in the future. We would like to ask you to introduce the progress of the "dual carbon" work in the non-ferrous metals industry from the perspective of the association.
Answer: Thank you for your question. Non-ferrous metals are an important basic raw material industry and also a key material support for building a manufacturing power, developing and expanding strategic emerging industries, cultivating future industries, and ensuring the development of national defense, military industry and aerospace. For many years, the non-ferrous metals industry has adhered to the path of high-quality development driven by innovation, mobilized the entire industry's strength to fight the battle for key core technologies, and continuously achieved new breakthroughs in scientific and technological innovation in areas such as the efficient development and utilization of strategic key non-ferrous metals resources, high-end material research and development, digitalization and intelligent manufacturing, resource recycling and utilization, and green and low-carbon development. It provides a solid raw material guarantee for the development of high-end industries such as photovoltaic and other new energy, power and energy storage batteries, new energy vehicles, new-generation electronic information, aerospace, high-speed rail, and national defense and military industry.
For instance, in the field of power and energy storage battery materials, many domestic research institutions have, through decades of continuous technological research and development, developed advanced lithium extraction technologies from salt lakes such as ion screen adsorption - membrane method for China's high magnesium-lithium ratio salt lake resources. They have also developed advanced process technologies such as low-temperature sulfuric acid method for China's abundant low-grade lithium mica resources. Research and development units represented by China ENFI, We have developed the core technology and equipment for high-pressure acid leaching of low-grade laterite nickel ore. These new processes and technologies have effectively solved the problems of lithium extraction from high magnesium-lithium ratio salt lakes, lithium extraction from lithium mica, and the development and utilization of low-grade laterite nickel ore, providing solid raw material support for the development of power batteries and new energy vehicles in China and even globally.
In the field of advanced non-ferrous metal materials, through scientific and technological breakthroughs, the production scale and product quality of non-ferrous metal materials used in aerospace, high-speed railways, large-scale power equipment, photovoltaics, new energy vehicles, integrated circuits and other fields have all reached the international advanced level. 7N-grade high-purity indium for 5G communication chips and 6N-grade high-purity copper for integrated circuits have been applied in batches. Large-sized ultra-high-purity nickel-platinum and other target materials have broken the foreign technological monopoly and achieved independent control. The research and application technologies of a batch of new energy materials such as sintered neodymium iron boron magnetic materials and lithium iron phosphate have reached the world's advanced level, effectively ensuring the development needs of the new generation of electronic information, new energy, high-end equipment and other industries.
Green, low-carbon and sustainable development have become a consensus in the non-ferrous metals industry.
The first is to innovate low-carbon and green technologies. Research has been focused on low-carbon innovative technologies such as power and energy conservation in aluminum electrolytic cells, inert anodes, short-process high-efficiency smelting technology for copper, lead and zinc, and the utilization of low-temperature waste heat in pyrometallurgical smelting. A number of advanced green and low-carbon technology demonstration projects have been built to support the green and low-carbon transformation and development of the industry.
The second is to accelerate the promotion and application of advanced and applicable technologies. It has released ten advanced and applicable green and low-carbon technologies in the industry, including "Low-carbon Composite Cathode Technology and Equipment for Aluminum Electrolytic Cells", organized and carried out the promotion of key technologies for energy-saving, low-carbon and digital electrolytic cells and advanced and applicable technologies such as continuous copper smelting, established a project reserve database of advanced green and low-carbon technologies, and updated the reserve projects on a rolling basis.
The third is to improve the green and low-carbon standard system. A series of relevant standards have been developed around low-carbon products, product carbon footprints, energy conservation and carbon reduction technologies, etc. The carbon footprint standards for major products in the industry have been formulated. In October 2024, the first national standard for carbon footprint in the non-ferrous metals industry, "Methods and Requirements for Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Product Carbon Footprint - Electrolytic Aluminum", was released and will come into effect on May 1, 2025. Research and revise the pollutant discharge standards for copper, nickel, cobalt, lead and zinc industries, formulate technical norms for the treatment of major pollutants, and safeguard the green and low-carbon development of the non-ferrous metals industry.
The fourth is to vigorously develop the recycled non-ferrous metals industry. Recycled non-ferrous metals have achieved remarkable energy conservation and carbon reduction effects and have become a vital force in realizing the "dual carbon" goals of the non-ferrous metals industry. The non-ferrous metals industry will adhere to maximizing the recycling and regeneration of resources, orderly guide and optimize the industrial layout of recycled metals, improve the standard system for recycled non-ferrous metals, promote the construction of a resource recycling and comprehensive utilization system for recycled non-ferrous metals, expand the use of recycled non-ferrous metals, enhance the level of grade protection and utilization, and assist the non-ferrous metals industry in energy conservation and carbon reduction.
The fifth is to build an innovation consortium for green and low-carbon development. Accelerate the construction of the green and low-carbon public service platform for the non-ferrous metals industry and the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) platform for the non-ferrous metals industry, improve the industry's carbon emission database system, formulate product type rules, release environmental declaration reports and carbon footprint reports, and promote the green and low-carbon development of the industry.
Green development is the background color of high-quality development. The non-ferrous metals industry will continue to firmly adhere to the "dual carbon" goals without slackening, unswervingly follow the path of ecological priority and green development, accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation throughout the product life cycle, and promote the green and high-quality development of the non-ferrous metals industry.
China Industry News: On April 2nd, the US government announced the establishment of a 10% benchmark tariff on all countries and the imposition of "reciprocal tariffs" on countries and regions with large trade deficits with the United States. However, metals such as copper, aluminium, gold, nickel and lithium are not affected by equivalent tariffs. May I ask what impacts the US tariff policy will have on China's non-ferrous metals industry? How should Chinese non-ferrous metal enterprises respond? What measures has the association taken?
Answer: Thank you for your question. Recently, the US government has exerted extreme pressure on its global trading partners, including China, under the guise of so-called "reciprocal tariffs". Although copper, aluminum, gold and other metal products have been included in the exemption list this round, since the beginning of this year, the US government has imposed an additional 20% tariff on all imported products from China. The "301" and "232" tariffs on aluminum products have been raised from the previous 10% to 25%, and the "232" investigation on copper has also been initiated. However, overall, since the Sino-US trade war from 2018 to 2019, China's exports of non-ferrous metal products to the US have dropped significantly. For instance, in 2024, China exported 254,000 tons of unforged and rolled aluminum and aluminum products to the US. It decreased by 62% compared with 2017, and the proportion dropped from 14.1% to 3.8%. The United States has dropped from the largest destination of aluminum exports to China to the sixth place. The export volume of copper materials to the United States only accounts for 4.6% of China's total exports. Coupled with some exemptions, the direct impact of this equivalent tariff on China's non-ferrous metal industry is limited. However, under such high "equivalent tariffs", the export of products from major downstream application fields of non-ferrous metals, such as home appliances, consumer electronics, mechanical equipment, and light industry, to the United States is restricted. The indirect impact on the consumption of non-ferrous metals cannot be ignored.
Next, under the specific guidance of relevant national departments, the association will work together with industry enterprises to actively respond to trade frictions and minimize the direct and indirect impacts of US tariffs. Industry enterprises should also solidly strengthen their internal capabilities, continuously promote the quality improvement and upgrading of their products, and enhance their core competitiveness. At the same time, enterprises should flexibly adjust their export strategies, actively strengthen trade cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, especially in Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East and other regions, constantly explore emerging markets, and further do a good job in high-level exports.
Jinchuan Group: We have noticed that in the first quarter of 2025, the total profits of large-scale non-ferrous metal industrial enterprises achieved a significant year-on-year growth. Could the association please introduce the core driving forces and industrial distribution that have led to a significant increase in profits? What risk factors will affect the high-quality development of the industry in the future?
Answer: Thank you for your question. In the complex domestic and international economic environment, the non-ferrous metals industry achieved a year-on-year growth of 40.7% in total profits in the first quarter of this year. This outstanding start performance demonstrates the resilience and vitality of the industry. The main core driving factors are as follows: First, the prices of non-ferrous metals remain at a high level. At the beginning of 2025, the global economy faced the impact of US tariffs. Due to the need for hedging against US import tariffs, a large amount of non-ferrous metals were exported to the United States in the first quarter, affecting the global market supply and demand pattern. Meanwhile, with the continuous tension in the geopolitical situation and concerns over US debt, expectations for the Federal Reserve's monetary policy to shift towards easing have strengthened. The demand for financial hedging has further strengthened the financial attributes of important non-ferrous metals such as gold. Countries have increased their reserve demands for gold and major non-ferrous metals, which has driven the prices of non-ferrous metals to remain at a high level. In the first quarter of this year, the domestic spot prices of copper, aluminum, lead and zinc rose by 11.4%, 7.3%, 5.9% and 14.8% respectively year-on-year. Second, the effects of policies to expand domestic demand have continued to manifest. With the implementation of a series of national measures to stabilize growth, especially the "two new" policies and the "trade-in for new" initiative, along with the support of monetary policies and proactive fiscal policies for real enterprises and infrastructure investment, consumption growth has been stimulated, directly boosting the consumption of bulk metals such as copper and aluminum. Thirdly, the "new three" industries, namely new energy, power and energy storage batteries, and electric vehicles, still maintain a relatively high growth rate. Coupled with the continuous development of strategic emerging industries such as the new-generation electronic information industry, the market demand for non-ferrous metal products continues to increase. Fourth, enterprises have effectively controlled production costs. Coupled with the stable and slightly declining prices of energy and some raw and auxiliary materials, the growth rate of costs and expenses has been lower than that of operating income, thereby enhancing the industry's profit margin. In addition, due to the influence of seasonal market demand, the prices of by-products such as sulfuric acid are also relatively good.
From the perspective of the proportion of profits in the industrial chain, in the first quarter of 2025, the profits realized by China's non-ferrous metal mining and selection industry, smelting industry and rolling processing industry accounted for 28.3%, 59.5% and 12.2% of the total industry profits respectively. Compared with the profit distribution of the industrial chain in the same period last year, the proportion of profits realized by the mining and selection end has further increased, while that of the processing end has decreased. From the perspective of industrial distribution, aluminum accounts for 37.1%, copper 21.0%, gold 11.0%, tungsten and molybdenum 10.7%, and lead and zinc 7.4%. From the perspective of product distribution, among them, aluminum smelting accounts for 54.3% of the profits realized in the non-ferrous metal smelting industry. The mining and beneficiation of copper, gold, lead-zinc and tungsten-molybdenum accounted for 35.9%, 22.3%, 19.4% and 12.2% of the profits realized in the mining and beneficiation of non-ferrous metals respectively. This set of data reflects that the major non-ferrous metal varieties in our country have continued the development trend of the previous year. Rare metals such as gold, tungsten and molybdenum have also shown a good development trend due to their special application field demands.
Although the industry maintains a high growth rate, the following risks need to be guarded against: First, the escalation of international trade barriers. This time, the US "reciprocal tariff" policy has become the biggest risk variable affecting global economic growth. The intensification of international trade frictions will have a significant impact on industries such as home appliances, consumer electronics, mechanical equipment, and light industry that China exports to the United States in large quantities, as well as photovoltaic and auto parts that are heavily re-exported to other countries. These industries will directly affect China's non-ferrous metal consumption market and price fluctuations. The second is the disruption of international resource supply. Due to China's high dependence on imported key mineral resources, if the policies of major resource countries change or the production and transportation processes are affected by natural weather and human factors, it will lead to supply shortages and price fluctuations, affecting the normal production and operation of enterprises. Thirdly, the internal competition within the smelting and processing industry has further deteriorated, and the contradiction of an unreasonable industrial structure is prominent. As of the end of March, the spot processing fee for copper concentrate had dropped as low as -26 US dollars per ton. Entering April, affected by the trade war, the spot processing fee even fell below -30 US dollars per ton. The sluggishness of processing fees directly affects the operating efficiency of smelting enterprises, and the same is true for zinc smelting. In the first quarter, processing enterprises were under pressure from poor price transmission, overcapacity leading to low-price competition, and restricted by international trade protectionism. As a result, their profits declined year-on-year, showing a significant divergence from the upstream links.
The Economic Daily: The 2025 government work report proposed to continue promoting the "Artificial Intelligence Plus" initiative, better integrating digital technology with manufacturing and market advantages, and supporting the wide application of large models. As an important raw materials industry, has the non-ferrous metals industry and enterprises made any plans in the "Artificial Intelligence +" initiative? What are the important breakthroughs and progress at present? What difficulties and challenges still need to be overcome in the future? What plans are there in actions such as building large industry models?
Answer: Thank you for your question. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee have made important discussions and comprehensive arrangements on China's digital transformation, artificial intelligence construction and other aspects. This year's government work report proposed to continuously promote the "Artificial Intelligence +" action, which has pointed out the direction for the digital and intelligent development of the non-ferrous metals industry.
Non-ferrous metals are an important basic raw material industry and also a key sector for digital transformation in China's industrial field. In recent years, the non-ferrous metals industry has been committed to digital empowerment for high-quality development, vigorously promoting informatization, digitalization and intelligence work, and facilitating the integrated and innovative application of artificial intelligence technology, achieving positive progress.
Under the guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, in collaboration with relevant units, jointly initiated the establishment of the Nonferrous Metals Industry Digital Transformation Promotion Center to jointly promote the digital transformation of the industry. The association has established a "Digital Nonferrous Metals Office", built a "Digital Nonferrous Metals" platform for China's nonferrous metals industry, and promoted the digitalization of the nonferrous metals industry and the collaborative sharing of data. On December 26, 2024, the first artificial intelligence large model in the nonferrous metals industry - the "Kun 'an" artificial intelligence large model - was officially released, aiming to reshape the entire business process of nonferrous metals, including geological exploration, mineral mining, smelting and processing, and recycling, with artificial intelligence.
In recent years, non-ferrous metal enterprises have been actively making plans and fully leveraging the new generation of information technology to promote the construction of digital and intelligent mines. According to incomplete statistics, since the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the list of intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories, 38 national intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories, over 60 innovative leading application cases of Internet platforms, and outstanding intelligent manufacturing scenarios in the non-ferrous metals industry have successively made the list. The digitalization level of newly built mining, smelting, processing and other enterprises is at the leading position internationally.
While the digitalization and intelligence work in the nonferrous metals industry has achieved results, it also faces some challenges. First, the data foundation is weak, and the data quality varies greatly, making it difficult to support the training and optimization of artificial intelligence models. There are also technical bottlenecks in real-time data collection and analysis. Second, the technical adaptability is insufficient. Due to the complex processes in the non-ferrous metals industry, the existing artificial intelligence algorithms are difficult to fully meet the demands in terms of stability, universality and real-time performance, and there is a lack of dedicated artificial intelligence models. Thirdly, the lack of a unified "Artificial intelligence +" standard system and related general standards in the nonferrous metals industry has restricted the coordinated development among the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain. Fourth, there is a shortage of high-end talents familiar with non-ferrous metal processes and digitalization and intelligence, and it is urgent to accelerate the cultivation of compound talents.
In terms of the action of building large industry models, the Nonferrous Metals Association will join hands with leading enterprises in the industry, universities and research institutions, digital service enterprises and other units, and focus on doing well in three aspects of work. First, strengthen the data foundation, build a cloud data platform for the non-ferrous metal industry covering the entire process from mining, smelting to processing, and achieve real-time management of multi-source data and value mining of historical data. Second, develop artificial intelligence models for vertical scenarios such as intelligent mine mining and selection, and smelting process optimization, conduct model evaluations, and vigorously promote excellent application scenarios. Third, improve the digital and information-based talent cultivation system, take multiple measures, promote the joint cultivation of "nonferrous metal processing + artificial intelligence" compound talents by the industry, schools and enterprises, and accelerate the cultivation of urgently needed digital and information-based engineers and technical and skilled talents in the industry.
China Nonferrous Metals News: Recently, multiple departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued the "Implementation Plan for High-Quality Development of the Copper Industry (2025-2027)" and the "Implementation Plan for High-Quality Development of the Aluminum Industry (2025-2027)", providing a clear direction for the development of the copper and aluminum industries. What impact will the release of the two plans have on the industry? How should industry enterprises implement the relevant requirements of the plan? In what aspects will the association assist in the implementation of the plan?
Answer: Thank you for your question. The core of the "Implementation Plan" for the copper industry can be summarized in four words: "Protect resources, control production capacity, strengthen technology, and promote green development." The impacts on the industry mainly include the following three aspects: First, the guarantee of resource security has been enhanced. Through the "dual-wheel drive" of domestic reserve increase and international cooperation, the construction and development of important domestic copper mines have been accelerated. Coupled with the improvement of the recycled copper recycling network, it is expected that the dependence on foreign copper resources will gradually decrease. Second, the expansion trend of smelting capacity will be effectively curbed. This "Implementation Plan" explicitly states that smelting capacity will be strictly controlled. It is required that new copper smelting capacity in mines be accompanied by corresponding equity copper concentrate capacity. At present, it is very difficult for domestic projects to meet this requirement. Third, the industrial layout continues to extend to both ends, especially in the downstream materials sector. By promoting the establishment of pilot platforms for copper-based new materials and industry-university-research consortia, it will facilitate the import substitution of high-end products and enhance the independent control capacity of the industrial chain. Fourth, industrial development has become more green and low-carbon.
For copper industry enterprises, the following aspects of work need to be implemented. First of all, it is suggested that enterprises should not blindly launch copper smelting projects to avoid unnecessary losses caused by violations. Second, focus on resources. The Implementation Plan mentions that the domestic copper mine resources should increase by 5% to 10% by 2027. Enterprises with copper mines should intensify resource exploration, strive to achieve increased reserves and production through a new round of mineral exploration breakthroughs, and at the same time, make good use of intelligent mining technology to reduce mining costs. Third, focus on scientific and technological innovation. Enterprises with the necessary conditions should increase investment in innovation fields, especially concentrating on key areas, key technologies and key materials for research and development, to meet the material demands of downstream emerging industries and future industries. Fourth, focus on green and intelligent transformation. We should accelerate the construction of green mines and green factories, and enterprises with conditions should speed up their intelligent transformation.
The China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association will promote the implementation of the plan from the following aspects: First, it will do a good job in policy connection and standard guidance, cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to do a good job in the publicity and implementation of norms, and guide enterprises to make rational investments and scientific decisions. The second is to carry out the revision of the access conditions for copper smelting and create a number of industry benchmark enterprises. Third, we will promote the green and intelligent development of the industry through the Association's Digital Transformation Promotion Center, Green Product Evaluation Center, ESG Research Center, and other organizations. Fourth, carry out activities such as quality improvement, brand building, and promotion of new technologies and products, build good platforms, and actively serve the development of enterprises.
The "Implementation Plan for High-Quality Development of the Aluminum Industry (2025-2027)" clearly states that the new development concepts should be fully, accurately and comprehensively implemented. With deepening supply-side structural reform as the main line and innovation as the fundamental driving force, it has pointed out the direction for promoting the high-quality development of the industry. The implementation of the plan will significantly enhance the resilience and security of the aluminum industry chain and supply chain, providing a solid guarantee for building a modernized aluminum industry power with Chinese characteristics.
To implement the requirements of the "Implementation Plan", industry enterprises should focus on strengthening resource security, optimizing industrial structure, enhancing scientific and technological innovation, and promoting green and digital transformation. They should actively participate in the exploration and development of mineral resources, strictly control investment in new production capacity, accelerate breakthroughs in intelligent manufacturing and key technologies, comprehensively promote green and low-carbon development, and at the same time, implement relevant industry standards. Actively give full play to the exemplary and leading role of leading enterprises, specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative "little giants", "single champions" and other high-quality enterprises, and effectively enhance the core competitiveness and sustainable development capacity of China's aluminum industry.
The implementation of the "Implementation Plan" is an important task for China's aluminum industry in the next three years and also an inescapable responsibility of the Nonferrous Metals Industry Association. First, we should further enhance the publicity and implementation work. We should use various meetings and media to promote the "Implementation Plan" through multiple means, enabling industry enterprises to have a comprehensive understanding of the current situation, goals, tasks and measures of the industry. We should unite our efforts and think in unison, and consciously integrate the "Implementation Plan" into the enterprise's development strategy, production and operation, and investment activities. Second, further expand the application of aluminum products. On the basis of the existing work such as "replacing copper with aluminum, wood with aluminum, steel with aluminum, and plastic with aluminum", further strengthen cooperation with related industries, enhance the connection between upstream and downstream, further expand the application fields, scale and level of aluminum products, and promote the growth of aluminum consumption. Third, we will further enhance risk early warning. To ensure the safety and controllability of the aluminum industry chain and supply chain, we will continue to closely monitor changes in aluminum product prices, social inventories, capacity utilization rates, market supply and demand, etc., and promptly release the aluminum industry prosperity index and operation reports to guide industry enterprises to make rational investments and scientific decisions. Fourth, we will further strengthen industry self-discipline. In response to the overheated investment in areas such as alumina and aluminum processing, we will enhance communication with industry enterprises, strengthen industry self-discipline, prevent low-level repetitive construction and inefficient price wars, and prevent "involution" vicious competition. At the same time, we will guide enterprises to update equipment, upgrade traditional industries and cultivate emerging industries. Accelerate the development of the aluminum industry towards high-end, intelligent and green directions, and create a favorable environment for the sustainable and healthy development of the aluminum industry.
Yuguang Gold Lead: In January this year, the founding conference of the Digital Transformation Promotion Center for the Nonferrous Metals Industry was held in Beijing. At the conference, it was mentioned that there are still problems in the industry such as the lack of a unified, quantitative and scientific indicator system for evaluating the current situation of digital transformation. May I ask the association: What key indicators might this evaluation system include? Does the association plan to release industry standards or implementation guidelines for digital transformation?
Answer: Thank you for your question. In recent years, the Nonferrous Metals Association has attached great importance to the digital transformation of the nonferrous metals industry. In accordance with the spirit of the "Work Plan for Digital Transformation of the Raw Materials Industry (2024-2026)", the Nonferrous Metals Association has issued the "List of Standard Plan Projects for Intelligent Manufacturing and Digital Transformation in the Nonferrous Metals Industry (2024-2026)", to support the digital transformation and intelligent development of the industry. In response to the current situation in the nonferrous metals industry where there is a lack of scientific and unified quantitative indicators for digital transformation, the Nonferrous Metals Association has actively promoted the construction of an assessment system for the industry's digital transformation. Since May 2024, it has jointly developed the industry standard "Assessment of the Maturity of Digital Transformation in the Nonferrous Metals Industry" with the China Academy of Industrial Internet, Chinalco Group and other units. The standard development work has been completed and it is expected to be officially released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in the near future.
This standard is applicable to the assessment of the maturity of digital transformation conducted by enterprises engaged in mining, selection, smelting, processing and comprehensive enterprises in the non-ferrous metal industry, as well as digital transformation service providers and third-party institutions. The digital transformation assessment system for the nonferrous metals industry establishes basic common capability domains and industry-specific capability domains. Among them, the basic common capability domains include six indicators: organization, technology, data, resources, digital operation, and benefits. The industry characteristic capability domain includes four indicators: technology, digital operation, digital production, and digital service. Each indicator contains several capability subdomain indicators. The maturity level of digital transformation in the nonferrous metals industry is set at five levels. The release and implementation of this standard can help enterprises identify their own digital capabilities, understand the level of their intelligent manufacturing capabilities, effectively guide enterprises to systematically promote digital transformation, and achieve standardization and normalization of the transformation process.
Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Key Points of Industrial and Information Technology Standards Work in 2025". The nonferrous metals industry will earnestly implement the key points of standards work, and accelerate the establishment of a scientific and comprehensive digital transformation standard system around aspects such as digital R&D simulation, digital supply chain, and classification and grading of digital transformation service providers in the fields of mining and selection, smelting, and processing. At the same time, actively participate in the formulation of international digital transformation standards and technical exchanges to enhance the international discourse power of the nonferrous metals industry.
China Nonferrous Metals Magazine: In recent years, emerging industries such as commercial aerospace, low-altitude economy, and deep-sea technology have developed rapidly. What is the position of nonferrous metals in these industries? What are its applications? Can enterprises consider entering the market or making plans?
Answer: Thank you for your question. Commercial aerospace, low-altitude economy, deep-sea technology and other industries are among the key areas for China to cultivate and develop new quality productive forces, and their future is promising. The rapid development of these emerging and future industries will surely constantly put forward new technical performance and quantity demands for non-ferrous metal materials, presenting a major opportunity for the development of the non-ferrous metal industry. For instance, aluminium, magnesium and lithium are indispensable lightweight materials for commercial aerospace and low-altitude economy. Titanium is hailed as the "space metal" and the "ocean metal", and plays an irreplaceable role in fields such as commercial aerospace, low-altitude economy, and deep-sea technology. Rare earths are hailed as the "vitamins of industry", and there are also new energy metals such as copper, nickel, cobalt and lithium, as well as rare metals like tantalum, germanium, zirconium and rhenium. These non-ferrous metal materials will provide key material support for the development and growth of emerging and future industries such as commercial aerospace, low-altitude economy and deep-sea technology. The important role and strategic position of non-ferrous metals will also become more prominent.
For many years, enterprises in the non-ferrous metal industry have always attached great importance to the development of advanced non-ferrous metal materials in fields such as commercial aerospace, low-altitude economy, and deep-sea technology. Some leading enterprises have taken the lead. For instance, Chinalco and Nanshan have been dedicated to the research and development and production of high-end aluminum-magnesium-lithium light alloy materials, while Baoti has been engaged in the research and development and production of titanium alloy materials. These materials have contributed to the realization of major national projects such as "reaching for the sky and entering the sea". Additionally, China Minmetals Corporation has taken the lead in establishing a future industry innovation consortium for the exploration and development of deep and deep-sea mineral resources. It is believed that in the future, more enterprises from various industries will join in, increase investment in research and development, and continuously develop advanced new materials for non-ferrous metals to support the accelerated development of emerging and future industries.
Resource Recycling Magazine: Under the guidance of the "dual carbon" goals, how will the country promote the upgrading of the recycled metal industry to high value-added fields through policy and technological innovation? Meanwhile, how to build a more resilient international resource collaboration system and reduce the risk of dependence on foreign countries?
Answer: Thank you for your question. The 2025 National Two Sessions' "Report on the Work of the Government" made new arrangements for continuously deepening the development of the resource recycling industry, namely, "Strengthening the recycling of waste, vigorously promoting the use of recycled materials, and promoting the development of a circular economy." The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance have issued the "Notice on Intensifying and Expanding the Implementation of Large-scale Equipment Renewal and Consumer Goods Trade-in Policies by 2025", launching a special action for the promotion and application of recycled materials, and supporting manufacturing enterprises of automobiles, electrical and electronic products, etc. to increase the proportion of recycled materials used. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in collaboration with multiple departments, has issued the "Implementation Plan for High-Quality Development of the Copper Industry (2025-2027)" and the "Implementation Plan for High-Quality Development of the Aluminum Industry (2025-2027)", proposing to enhance the processing and distribution capacity of waste copper and aluminum, promote the standardized recycling and refined sorting of raw materials, and encourage the import of recycled copper and aluminum raw materials that meet the requirements. Support copper smelting and copper and aluminum processing enterprises in increasing the proportion of recycled copper and aluminum usage and promote high-value utilization.
In terms of encouraging technological innovation, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments have issued the "Green Technology Promotion Catalogue (2024 Edition)", which includes "Comprehensive Recycling and Utilization Technology for Spent Lithium-ion Batteries", "Comprehensive Utilization Technology for Arsenic-Containing Waste Residue from Gold and Copper Smelting", "Clean Recycling Technology for Valuable Components of Spent Power Batteries", etc. And encourage financial institutions to enhance financing support for the application of green technologies listed in the Catalogue through green credit, green bonds, carbon emission reduction support tools, etc.
In 2024, China's output of recycled non-ferrous metals reached 19.15 million tons, ranking first in the world for fifteen consecutive years. The physical volume of imported recycled copper and aluminum raw materials exceeded 4 million tons, accounting for 23% of the total raw material supply, a decrease of 1.7 percentage points compared with 2023. A raw material supply structure has basically taken shape, with domestic recycling as the main form and imports as an important supplement. Meanwhile, China is actively building a more resilient international resource collaboration system to mitigate the impact of external risks.
First, the import management policies have been continuously improved and the number of imported varieties has been increasing. The new version of the announcement on the Management of the Import of recycled copper and Aluminum Raw materials and the relevant customs inspection procedures have been implemented since November 2024, adding the import of recycled copper alloys such as brass, bronze, white copper, and high copper, recycled wrought aluminum alloys, and recycled pure aluminum raw materials that meet the index requirements. The announcement on the import management of recycled black powder raw materials for lithium-ion batteries has completed the public consultation. Recycled black powder raw materials that meet the standards will be included in the scope of free import. In addition, the management policy for the import of target materials after sputtering is also being advanced in an orderly manner, aiming to recycle and reuse key strategic metal resources such as tantalum, cobalt, nickel, tungsten, molybdenum and vanadium.
The second is to set up recycling factories abroad to expand the coverage of the recycling network. Following the establishment of disassembly, sorting and recycling production lines for recycled non-ferrous metal raw materials by Chinese enterprises in Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia, Chinese enterprises have begun to build sorting plants in Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia to recycle non-ferrous metal recycled resources, greatly expanding the international sources of recycled raw materials. The resilience of overseas renewable resource supply has been enhanced.
Third, the number of countries importing raw materials has increased, and the sources of recycled raw materials have become more extensive. Take the import of recycled aluminum raw materials as an example. The number of importing countries and regions has increased to 95, an increase of 6 compared to 2023. The number of countries and regions importing more than 10,000 tons of recycled materials has reached 22, an increase of 4 compared to 2023.
Fourth, the customs has further optimized the business environment at ports to facilitate customs clearance. The General Administration of Customs has launched a pilot program for the transshipment of recycled metal raw materials in inland areas, creating favorable conditions for import enterprises to reduce transportation and logistics costs and improve customs clearance efficiency. At the same time, efforts have been made to comprehensively promote the construction of smart customs, and sixteen specific measures have been introduced to "optimize processes, simplify procedures and enhance efficiency", helping enterprises reduce costs and increase vitality, and continuously improving the facilitation level of cross-border trade.
