According to customs statistics, in the first five months of 2026, China's total goods trade import and export value reached 20.68 trillion yuan, a YoY increase of 15.3% (the same hereinafter). Exports totaled 11.91 trillion yuan, up 11.8%, while imports totaled 8.77 trillion yuan, up 20.5%. In May alone, total goods trade import and export value stood at 4.45 trillion yuan, up 16.9%. Exports were 2.59 trillion yuan, up 13.8%, and imports were 1.86 trillion yuan, up 21.5%. By trade mode, in the first five months, China's Ordinary Trade imports and exports reached 12.47 trillion yuan, up 8.3%; processing trade imports and exports reached 3.95 trillion yuan, up 22.9%; and bonded logistics imports and exports reached 3.59 trillion yuan, up 41.8%. By trading partner, China's trade with ASEAN totaled 3.52 trillion yuan, up 16.6%; with the EU, 2.53 trillion yuan, up 10.3%; and with the US, 1.61 trillion yuan, down 6.6%. Over the same period, combined imports and exports with countries jointly building the Belt and Road reached 10.57 trillion yuan, up 13.6%. By type of enterprise, in the first five months, private enterprises' imports and exports reached 11.81 trillion yuan, up 15.5%; foreign-invested enterprises, 6.02 trillion yuan, up 15.7%; and state-owned enterprises, 2.81 trillion yuan, up 14%. In terms of key commodities, on the export side, China's exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 7.58 trillion yuan, up 18.4%; labor-intensive products, 1.61 trillion yuan, down 3.1%; and agricultural products, 300.79 billion yuan, up 1.6%. On the import side, imports of mechanical and electrical products reached 3.54 trillion yuan, up 25.3%; crude oil, 218 million mt, down 4.8%; and agricultural products, 618.16 billion yuan, up 7.6%. SMM has compiled the import and export data for selected metal industry products based on figures released by the General Administration of Customs, as follows: Exports: Rare earth exports in May 2026 5,490.4 mt, a YoY decrease of 6.4% vs. May 2025 . Cumulative exports in January-May 2026 reached 25,378.0 mt, a YoY increase of 2.2% vs. the same period of 2025. Steel exports in May 2026 10.341 million mt, a YoY decrease of 2.2% vs. May 2025 . Aluminum semis exports in January-May 2026 totaled 4,455.4 mt, on a YoY basis from January-May 2025, down 8.1 %. Exports of unwrought aluminum and aluminum semis in May 2026 reached 632,000 mt, on a YoY basis from May 2025, up 15.5% . Cumulative exports in the first five months of 2026 reached 2.685 million mt, on a YoY basis from January-May 2025, up 10.4%. Imports: Imports of iron ore and concentrates in May 2026 reached 97.711 million mt, on a YoY basis from May 2025, down 0.4% . Cumulative imports in the first five months of 2026 reached 516.258 million mt, on a YoY basis from January-May 2025, up 6.3%. Imports of copper ore and concentrates in May 2026 reached 2.361 million mt, on a YoY basis from May 2025, down 1.4% . Cumulative imports in the first five months of 2026 reached 12.275 million mt, on a YoY basis from January-May 2025, down 1% . Imports of coal and lignite in May 2026 reached 33.265 million mt, on a YoY basis from May 2025, down 7.7% . Cumulative imports in the first five months of 2026 reached 182.623 million mt, on a YoY basis from January-May 2025, down 3.2%. Imports of rare earths in May 2026 reached 6,770.2 mt, on a YoY basis from May 2025, down 42.1% . Cumulative imports in the first five months of 2026 reached 47,628.0 mt, on a YoY basis from January-May 2025, down 2.8%. Imports of steel in May 2026 reached 451,000 mt, on a YoY basis from May 2025, down 6.2%. Cumulative imports in the first five months of 2026 reached 2.255 million mt, on a YoY basis from January-May 2025, down 12.2%. Imports of unwrought copper and copper semis in May 2026 reached 446,000 mt, on a YoY basis from May 2025, up 4.4% . Cumulative imports in the first five months of 2026 reached 2.013 million mt, on a YoY basis from January-May 2025, down 7 % .

[SMM Analysis] Steel billet sees notable YoY increase, while UAE’s decline hits a new low By product: Steel billet’s increase remains impressive, mainly because previous geopolitical conflicts caused periodic logistical bottlenecks and surging insurance premiums in major billet and slab production areas at some local Middle East EAF mills and BF-based plants. Overseas billet supply faced a vacuum period, directly pushing global buyers to launch massive inquiries with China. Purchasing sentiment strengthened notably in Southeast Asia in particular. According to SMM’s order-taking survey, exports are expected to stay high in the short term. It is also worth noting that Vietnam’s anti-dumping duties on China’s HRC will be implemented on April 17. As a result, total HRC exports to Vietnam in April increased compared with March, driven by a final rush to front-load shipments before the deadline. Exports are expected to pull back again in May. Data Source: SMM, General Administration of Customs By country: Djibouti’s increase topped the list. Its product mix chart clearly shows that HRC (42%) and steel billet (30%) are the dominant products. As the “Gateway to East Africa” and a transshipment hub, Djibouti itself lacks large-scale consumption capacity. This surge is essentially because repeated Red Sea tensions caused large vessels to unload and transship directly in the Mediterranean or south of the Suez Canal, with Djibouti serving as a safe transit point serving East African inland infrastructure projects such as Ethiopia, or shipping onward via smaller vessels to North Africa. As a global shipping and trade settlement center, Singapore saw an increase of 290,000 mt, mainly due to centralized procurement and trade settlement by ASEAN and Chinese-invested construction projects in Singapore, which provided marginal support for China’s exports of bars, wire rods, and other infrastructure-related finished steel products. The UAE dropped 870,000 mt, and Saudi Arabia dropped 450,000 mt. This was primarily due to geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East, compounded by excessive stockpiling by major Middle Eastern buyers earlier to avoid logistics risks, pushing the Middle East market into a defensive cycle of destocking and slower purchasing. Data Source: SMM, General Administration of Customs Outlook: SMM’s April orders remain at a high level, and May exports are still expected to see increases. According to SMM’s steel export order data, affected by holidays, steel export orders in April dipped slightly by 0.57% MoM from March. However, it is also learned that shipping to the Middle East is gradually recovering, and orders for slabs destined for Southeast Asia saw a significant increase in April. Taking all factors into consideration—with the new export orders index re-entering expansion territory, the export price advantage still significant, and export order performance excellent—SMM expects that China’s steel exports in May will still see growth, with steel billet continuing to play a dominant role. Data Source: SMM Copyright and Intellectual Property Statement: This report is independently created or compiled by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SMM"), and SMM legally enjoys complete copyright and related intellectual property rights. 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On May 30, Indian state-owned miner NMDC released its Q4 FY2025-2026 results. In Q4 of the fiscal year (January 1 to March 31, 2026), NMDC's iron ore production was 16.272 million mt, up approximately 11% QoQ and 22% YoY; iron ore sales were 15.299 million mt, up approximately 20% QoQ and 21% YoY. The quarterly improvement in production and sales was primarily driven by a surge in March. In March 2026, NMDC's iron ore production was 5.35 million mt and sales were 5.9 million mt, up approximately 51% and 40% YoY respectively, driving both QoQ and YoY increases in Q4 production and sales. For the full FY2025-2026 (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026), NMDC's iron ore production was 53.15 million mt, up 21% YoY; sales were 50.23 million mt, up 13% YoY. During the same period, the company's standalone after-tax profit was 74.21 billion rupees (approximately $868 million), up approximately 10.9% YoY; operating revenue was 315.54 billion rupees (approximately $3.69 billion), up approximately 33.3% YoY.

In May, the rare earth market entered its traditional off-season. Although occasional factors such as major producers' procurement briefly boosted rare earth prices, weak downstream demand kept prices under pressure and pulling back overall throughout May. Pr-Nd oxide and dysprosium oxide fell 11% and 11.79% respectively in May, while terbium oxide also edged down. On the supply side, however, an increasing trend emerged — domestic rare earth oxide production was up MoM across the board in May. Combined with continued inflows of ex-China sources, imports of unlisted rare earth oxides in the first four months surged 103% YoY. This supply-demand mismatch further suppressed rare earth price performance in May. Since early June, Pr-Nd oxide and other rare earth products have seen slight price rebounds, driven by major producers' restocking and futures fluctuations. However, the off-season demand shortfall persists — how will the rare earth market perform going forward? Pr-Nd Oxide Down 11% in May, Dysprosium Oxide Down 11.79%, Terbium Oxide Down 1.63% Light rare earth prices: Taking the historical price trend of Pr-Nd oxide as an example, according to SMM quotes: the average price of Pr-Nd oxide on May 29 was 687,500 yuan/mt, compared with its April 30 average price of 772,500 yuan/mt, representing a decline of 85,000 yuan/mt in May, with a monthly drop of 11%. Entering June, Pr-Nd oxide continued to rise, with an average price of 700,500 yuan/mt on June 2. Medium-heavy rare earth prices: Taking the trend of dysprosium oxide as an example, according to SMM quotes: the average price of dysprosium oxide on May 29 was 1,230 yuan/kg, compared with its April 30 average price of 1,375 yuan/kg, representing a decline of 145 yuan/kg in May, with a monthly drop of 11.79%. Entering June, dysprosium oxide prices edged up slightly, with an average price of 1,240 yuan/kg on June 2. Taking the trend of terbium oxide as an example, according to SMM quotes: the average price of terbium oxide on May 29 was 6,025 yuan/kg, compared with its April 30 average price of 6,125 yuan/kg, representing a decline of 100 yuan/kg in May, with a monthly drop of 1.63%. Entering June, terbium oxide prices rose slightly, with an average price of 6,035 yuan/kg on June 2. Oxide Production Up MoM Across the Board in May Production: Due to increased production from scrap recycling enterprises and production resumptions at some enterprises that had previously undergone equipment maintenance, production of Pr-Nd oxide and other rare earth oxides edged up in May compared with April. Imports of Unlisted Rare Earth Oxides Up 103% YoY, January-April According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China's imports of thorium ore and concentrates totaled 21,443 mt from January to April 2026, nearly flat YoY. Imports in April were 4,081 mt, up 22% MoM but up 32% YoY. From January to April 2026, China's imports of unlisted rare earth oxides reached approximately 26,123 mt, a significant YoY increase of 103%. Currently, the operating rate of ex-China rare earth mines remains relatively high, keeping actual supply in the international market at ample levels. Outlook Recently, rare earth prices rose due to futures market price fluctuations and periodic restocking by some large enterprises. However, as downstream orders were unsatisfactory, even though raw material inventory at downstream enterprises remained at relatively low levels, end-user wait-and-see sentiment was strong and enterprises showed little enthusiasm for restocking and stockpiling. It is expected that rare earth prices will be in the doldrums again until downstream orders see a notable increase and market confidence shows clear recovery. Recommended reading:

On May 22, Wanhua Chemical held a performance presentation for the 2025 annual and the first quarter of 2026. The first phase of the Haiyang 100,000 tons/year LFP project commenced production in March of this year, with construction simultaneously starting on the second and third phases, each with a capacity of 200,000 tons/year, in the same location. The first phase of the Laizhou 320,000 tons/year LFP project started construction in March and is also planned to be commissioned by the end of this year. In 2026Q1, Wanhua Chemical's net cash flow from operating activities reached 6.857 billion yuan, a YoY increase of more than tenfold, driven by higher current period profits and improved accounts receivable and inventory turnover efficiency.

[SMM Steel] India’s state-owned steelmaker SAIL reported net profit of INR16.8 billion ($174.9 million) in Q4 FY2025/26, up 43% YoY, while revenue rose 5.1% to INR308.13 billion ($3.21 billion). However, operational performance remained largely stable, with steel sales slightly easing to 5.32 million tonnes from 5.33 million tonnes a year earlier, while crude steel production edged down to 5.08 million tonnes from 5.09 million tonnes.