A summary of China's battery raw materials imports for December 2020.
In brief
Imports of cobalt metal rose amid a surge in import profits when the price in China started to rally in mid-December and the price in Europe was stable due to slow activities during the Christmas and New Year Day holidays. Lithium carbonate imports continued to grow year on year amid strong demand from China, driven by cheaper import prices compared with that for domestic material, but it decreased on a monthly basis following strong buying since September. Lithium hydroxide imports surged on both a monthly and annually basis due to healthy appetite for cheap materials, mainly from Russia, and because bullish market sentiment has eroded cheaper Chinese domestic supply. Strong nickel sulfate market in China boosted demand for nickel intermediates, explaining the big year-on-year increase in imports. But limited supply made it difficult for buyers to source the feedstock and prevented growth on a monthly basis. Flake graphite imports in December surged after significant contractions in October and November. A major source of flake graphite to China was Madagascar at 5,582 tonnes, up from 400 tonnes in November. Market sources believe that is due to the seasonal shipment arrangements; quarterly shipments stood at 7,236 tonnes, similar to total third-quarter shipments of 7,000 tonnes. December imports
Cobalt concentrate
3,220 tonnes, down by 18.81% month on month, up by 22.67% year on year
Cobalt intermediates
30,444 tonnes, up by 0.17% month on month, down by 14.98% year on year
Cobalt metal
673 tonnes; up by 40.50% month on month, up by 199.11% year on year
Lithium carbonate
4,722 tonnes, down by 31.10% month on month, up by 70.22% year on year
Lithium hydroxide
149 tonnes, up by 2,028.57% month on month, up by 432.14% year on year
Nickel intermediates
45,735 tonnes, down by 17.1% month on month, and up by 160.3% year on year
Natural graphite in flake
5,868 tonnes, up by 1,261% month on month, down by 14.51% year on year
A summary of China's battery raw materials exports for December 2020 can be
found here.