GACC: China's 2025 alumina exports surge 43% YoY

China exported 2.55 million tonnes of alumina during 2025, higher by a huge 42.7% from the 2024 total, according to the latest data released by the country's General Administration of Customs (GACC).

In December alone, China's alumina exports jumped by 22.6% from November and rose by 9.3% on year to 205,863 tonnes, the GACC data showed.

By destination, Russia retained its position as the largest overseas buyer of Chinese alumina last year, with alumina exports there totalling 2.02 million tonnes, accounting for 79.3% of China's total and representing a 24.7% increase from 2024.

Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates ranked as the second and third largest export destinations last year, receiving 170,421 tonnes and 79,726 tonnes respectively. Their volumes accounted for 6.7% and 3.1% of China's total exports.

On the import front, China brought in 1.2 million tonnes of alumina from foreign suppliers in 2025, down by 15.6% from the previous year. As such, China recorded net alumina exports of 1.35 million tonnes during the year.

In December, China's alumina imports reached 227,757 tonnes, down 2% from November but surging sharply from just 15,289 tonnes recorded in December 2024.

Despite ample supply in the domestic market last year, China continued to import some alumina, mainly due to the comparatively lower prices offered by overseas suppliers and to meet demand for high-purity material, sources said. Some of the imports were also shipments from Chinese-backed alumina refiners overseas.

During 2025, Australia remained China's top supplier of imported alumina, supplying 494,897 tonnes or 41.3% of the total during the year. Indonesia and Vietnam followed, with shipments of 310,430 tonnes and 209,424 tonnes, respectively.

Notably, Indonesia was both China's second-largest alumina export destination and its second-largest import supplier last year. As most Indonesian alumina was either consumed by domestic state-owned primary aluminum smelters such as PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium or exported during the year, some Indonesian smelters sourced alumina from other countries, including China, market watchers noted.

Written by Iris Pang, pangjunyu@mysteel.com

Edited by Russ McCulloch, russ.mcculloch@mysteel.com