By now, the world knows that although the current global copper reserves are sufficient to meet demand, extraction continues to lag behind consumption. As a result, many inside and outside the copper market fear there will be a shortage in the coming years. Predictions say that the annual global demand for copper will increase by […]
Sohrab Darabshaw
Flood of Cheap Steel Imports Sets off Alarm Bells for India
It seems all the fears expressed by Indian steelmakers (and policymakers) are coming true. There just seems to be no stopping the flood of cheap steel imports into domestic markets, a problem that continues to cause great agony for Indian steel manufacturing leaders. India became a net importer of steel in the first quarter of […]
Zimbabwe’s $1.5 Billion Steel Plant Roars to Life
Zimbabwe’s got itself a brand new iron and steel manufacturing plant, courtesy of the Chinese. This U.S. $1.5 billion Chinese-built plant’s blast furnace recently came online and is already producing pig iron, a crucial ingredient for making steel. The team over at Dinson Iron and Steel Company (Disco), the Zimbabwean subsidiary of Chinese steel giant […]
Battle for Steel Supremacy: India vs. China in the Global Steel Trade
With a new government in place following the recent general elections, Indian steel manufacturing firms are again clamoring for the imposition of more import duties and other measures to curb cheap steel imports from China. India ended up being a net importer of steel during the April-March 2024 period. According to provisional government data, this […]
China’s Economic Recovery Stumbles: Industrial Output Disappoints
Clearly, China’s economy is not yet back on the recovery track, as evidenced by the mixed bag of data for May released on Monday. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), industrial production in China saw a 5.6% increase in May 2024 compared to May 2023. However, overall production was also down […]
Secret Weapon in the ‘Copper War’?
Copper demand continues to surge globally. And as the rest of the world struggles with the rising price of copper and the ever-changing copper market, guess who is sitting pretty? Hint: it’s China. Despite fears of a worldwide copper shortage driving copper prices to new highs, the world’s largest producer and consumer of refined copper […]
Lithium Rush: Global Scramble for ‘White Gold’ as China Dominates the Supply Chain
Dubbed “white gold,” lithium is immense valuable in the modern world. Though lithium prices dropped dramatically from the highs achieved in late 2022, China still dominates the lithium supply chain. This continues to spur on multiple countries looking to lay their hands on this valuable metal. Lithium is a critical component in rechargeable batteries for […]
New Heat-Resistant Aluminum Alloys Developed by Tianjin University to Revolutionize Aerospace Engineering
Chinese scientists recently announced the development of a technique to significantly enhance the heat resistance of aluminum alloys. The breakthrough will address a major challenge that has long restricted the use of this lightweight metal in critical fields such as aerospace and transportation. According to a report in the South China Morning Post, the team […]
India’s Steel Industry Under Stress: Chinese Imports Could Surge Amid U.S. Tariffs
India’s steel industry currently finds itself in a stressful predicament. Already reeling from cheap steel imports, the country is now even more worried about a surge of Chinese imports following the imposition of fresh tariffs on Chinese steel by U.S. President Joe Biden. Alongside the U.S., India and many other countries around the world have […]
China’s Iron Ore Imports Projected to Hit Record High Amid Global Supply Shifts
If iron ore is in the news, can China be far behind? Contrary to earlier predictions, China may end up importing a record consignment of iron ore this year. With the global iron ore price fluctuating, this could have widespread ramifications. A recent Reuters report quoted market analysts as saying that China’s ore imports this […]