In Q1 2026, China’s aluminum semis exports showed a pronounced pattern of product-category divergence amid the interplay of three factors: the long-term impact of the cancellation of export tax rebates in December 2024, the divergence in demand structures outside China, and the sudden outbreak of geopolitical conflict in the Strait of Hormuz.....

At this year’s national Two Sessions, Xie Yancui, a deputy to the National People’s Congress and chief engineer of the Technology and Quality Center at Northeast Light Alloy Co., Ltd. of Aluminum Corporation of China, showcased the team’s latest R&D achievement: a new-type high-performance rare earth aluminum alloy material. This represents the latest independently developed innovation in China’s aluminum processing sector. According to reports, this seemingly ordinary metal plate has already been successfully applied in the field of manned spaceflight.

[Supply Tightening Coupled With Macro Tailwinds Keeps Aluminum Prices Firmly at High Levels] Overall, the geopolitical situation in the Middle East remains the core factor affecting the global aluminum market. A series of production cuts and damage incidents at Middle Eastern aluminum plants is expected to provide strong upward momentum for aluminum prices in and outside China, together with support from expectations of gradually releasing peak-season demand in China. In the short term, aluminum prices are expected to remain in a high-level consolidation pattern.

In March, China’s composite PMI for aluminum processing registered 65.6%, rebounding strongly above the 50 mark.

On March 26, the 580,000 mt aluminum construction project of Wanji Aluminum Industry (Xinjiang) Co., Ltd. commenced. It is understood that the project adopts an EPC model integrating design, procurement, and construction, with a total investment of approximately 4.595 billion yuan, and is expected to be completed and commissioned in July 2027. Upon completion, the project will become a modern aluminum production site integrating green production, intelligent management and control, and full-chain supporting facilities, improving the entire industry chain from alumina and aluminum to deep aluminum processing.

This week, the weekly operating rate of leading downstream aluminum processing enterprises in China rebounded 1.1 percentage points MoM to 64%.