After post-pandemic volatility, bulk mineral imports stabilised at elevated monthly values in 2024-2025, while non-bulk imports trended higher in aggregate, reflecting battery supply chains, alloy demand and a greater focus on supply continuity and diversification.
After the sharp swings of the post-pandemic period, in 2024-2025, China’s mineral imports appear to have settled into a more stable, structurally elevated pattern. Bulk inputs such as iron ore and copper are now range-bound at high monthly values, signalling managed procurement rather than cyclical demand surges.
Non-bulk minerals have trended higher in aggregate, reflecting the growing pull of battery supply chains, alloy production and a stronger emphasis on supply continuity and diversification. Within this group, lead, tin and especially nickel stand out for their high value growth in 2024-2025, underscoring how targeted materials linked to electrification, specialty alloys and upstream control are gaining strategic weight even as headline industrial demand remains uneven.
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