The Chinese copper scrap market is expected to remain tight as the pandemic and global economic downturn worsen an already limited supply caused by global trade restrictions, a JCC Renewable Resource executive said on Thursday.
After years of an environmental crackdown on solid-waste imports, China – once the global scrap metal processing hub – now only allows high grade material to enter. “Overseas supply continues to be weak and overseas demand has increased. The tight supply pattern of copper scrap is expected to continue,” Huang told delegates at the CRU World Copper Conference Asia.
Domestic recycling volume in China is also expected to surpass 2.5 million tonnes while imports could reach more than 1.3 million tonnes.