According to the latest customs data, China’s zinc oxide imports reached 342.78 tonnes in May, rising 53.16% month-on-month. Cumulative imports from January to May stood at 2,592.66 tonnes, up 1.7% year-on-year.China exported 1,693.81 tonnes of zinc oxide in May, a month-on-month drop of 18.71%. Total exports for the first five months hit 8,831.86 tonnes, surging 51.82% year-on-year. Breakdown of May import and export volumes is as follows:

[SMM Data: Complete Summary of SMM March 2026 Import and Export Data] SMM March 2026 import and export data showed: copper cathode net imports were down YoY; primary aluminum imports reached 255,000 mt, up 14.8% YoY; refined lead imports climbed sharply; zinc ingot imports were up 220% MoM; tin ore imports were up 122% YoY; silver imports were up 93% MoM; steel exports rebounded MoM; PV module export value was up 122.7% MoM; silicon metal exports were up 43% MoM, and magnesium exports hit a multi-year high. Among new energy materials, exports of LiPF6 and artificial graphite surged significantly.

In March 2026, China’s alumina imports and exports showed significant changes: imports totaled 338,300 metric tons, an 86.9% increase from the previous month, but a substantial 2,928.8% increase year-over-year; exports totaled 209,400 metric tons, a 43% increase from the previous month, but a 29.4% decrease year-over-year.

[SMM Analysis: Tectonic Shifts Amid Policy Crackdowns: Decoding the Asian Recycled Copper Market]Since 2018, the global recycled copper trade has entered a highly volatile "Nomadic Era." Against the backdrop of China’s stringent restrictions on solid waste imports, Southeast Asia quickly filled the gap in the global supply chain. However, this prosperity—built upon "regulatory troughs"—is gradually transforming as regional environmental awareness awakens and administrative logic shifts.

SMM Analysis: According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China's copper foil (HS codes: 74101100, 74102190) imports were 7,133.71 mt in January 2026, up 15.77% YoY and down 0.69% MoM...

SMM News, January 22th： In general, the constraints on domestic tungsten ore resource exploitation will inevitably lead to increased overseas exploitation and utilization of tungsten ore resources. Meanwhile, China's tungsten product import and export market will focus on the core logic of "stable resource imports for security and high-end exports for building barriers", seek dynamic balance amid great-power games and industrial chain restructuring, strengthen high-end technical barriers, and gradually build an industrial system with stronger internal and external coordination and risk resistance capabilities.