Tighter Chinese market slows tin exports

Chinese exports of refined tin slowed in June as the arbitrage between the Shanghai and London exchanges narrowed. The arbitrage arises from differences in the valuation of tin between the two exchanges. Typically, the Chinese import price – the LME price, minus...

Chinese imports jump as Myanmar backlog clears

Chinese smelters experienced some relief to their tight raw materials supply chains as imports of tin concentrate from Myanmar jumped in June. The latest customs data, which is reported as gross weight, indicated that 14,249 tonnes came from Myanmar in June. This is a...

Worker shortage halves Myanmar tin exports

Imports of tin ores and concentrates from Myanmar into China dropped significantly in May as the major tin mining area in the country struggles with a shortage of workers. Total gross imports of tin ores and concentrates into China totalled some 11,159 tonnes in May,...

YTC begins annual maintenance

YTC has announced that it will cease production at its main smelter as it undergoes maintenance.Yunnan Tin has two smelters in China, one in Yunnan province, and the other in Hunan. Together, the two smelters produced some 76,500 tonnes of refined tin in 2020, with...

China’s release of strategic metals stocks not expected to impact tin

Base metals prices have come under pressure recently from regulators in China. Decade high prices for commodities including copper and tin are beginning to put pressure on industrial production in the world’s biggest consumer of metals. With much of China’s economic...

Yunnan smelters close as drought limits power

In China, the majority of tin smelters are concentrated in Yunnan province, in the southwest of the country. The province is also home to a number of zinc and aluminum smelters. In early May, the Yunnan Power Grid issued a notice to all companies to reduce their...

Weaker Chinese demand prompts continued exports

Customs data from China indicates that the country was a net exporter of refined tin again in March. Net exports were some four times higher than in February. The data reveals that, in March, imports of refined tin dropped to 102 tonnes, down some 78%. This is the...

Myanmar imports exceed expectations

China’s imports of raw materials increased sharply in March. Imports from Myanmar, in particular, exceeded expectations. The latest customs data from the country reveals that it imported 21,115 tonnes of ores and concentrates (gross weight) in March. Some 86% of...

China smelters halt production

Small and medium-sized smelters in Gejiu, China, could suspend their refining processes due to environmental checks. This round of environmental inspections is set to begin in early April. Starting in Honghe prefecture, the checks could last around one month. In...

Environmental checks pressure Chinese raw materials supply

From the end of March, a number of tin fuming furnaces in the Chinese province of Yunnan will be closed for environmental checks. Fuming furnaces are a key part of smelting operations in China. The furnaces process low grade raw materials, including slag, hard-head,...