According to data from the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, China's spodumene concentrate imports reached 837,400 tonnes in March 2026, up 50.2% from the previous month. Among the total, imports of raw ore from South Africa stood at 169,000 tonnes, up 48.4% month-on-month. Imports from Australia reached 256,000 tonnes, down 8.9% month-on-month and down 16.9% year-on-year. Imports from Zimbabwe totaled 113,000 tonnes, up 61.5% month-on-month, while imports from Nigeria reached 125,000 tonnes, up 62.9% month-on-month.
In the first quarter of 2026, China's cumulative spodumene concentrate imports reached 1.3896 million tonnes, up 31.6% year-on-year. Among the total, imports from Australia stood at 899,000 tonnes, from South Africa 447,000 tonnes, from Zimbabwe 267,000 tonnes, from Nigeria 295,000 tonnes, and from Mali 206,000 tonnes.
Written by Cora Ji, jiruyan@mysteel.com
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