The latest data shows that after the global tariff issues have cooled down, particularly with the easing of trade relations between the two largest economies, cross-Pacific shipping trade continues to be encouraged. US-bound container shipping rates remained strong in the third week after the May 12 joint China statement, despite a gradual slowdown in container shipping bookings. The latest report released on Thursday by maritime research and consulting firm Drewry showed that the price to transport a 40-foot equivalent unit (FEU) from Shanghai to Los Angeles recorded the largest weekly increase of the year in the week ending May 29—rising nearly 17% to $3,738. Although the current freight rate per container is still nearly one-third lower than the peak in January this year, it is significantly higher than the low point of $2,487 at the end of March, just before Trump announced the "Liberation Day" tariffs. Transportation data company Xeneta expects that freight rates could double in the coming weeks and may even rise higher due to the latest ruling on tariffs by the US Court of International Trade. On Wednesday, the US Court of International Trade unexpectedly ruled that Trump did not have the authority to impose a blanket of comprehensive tariffs on nearly all countries under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Prior to this week, the surge in US-bound container shipping rates was almost entirely driven by importers rushing to place orders. After Trump increased tariffs on China to 145% in early April, many importers suspended shipments of their orders. Nathan Strang, head of ocean freight at Flexport, said that some container lines were once fully booked, with sailings scheduled as far out as July. People were operating in almost complete uncertainty, so once they saw an opportunity, they would rush to request shipments. Balsam Brands, a US company that sells artificial Christmas trees and holiday decorations, said it will import 500 containers of Halloween decorations, Christmas trees, and ornaments from China in the coming weeks. It expects to pay approximately $1 million more in additional transportation costs compared to the average spot rate in mid-May. However, despite the continued high container shipping rates, the tightness in container shipping bookings has at least eased somewhat. Data from logistics technology companies Vizion and Dun & Bradstreet show that in the first three days of this week, the total number of container shipping bookings was approximately 106,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a decrease from the 137,000 TEUs in the same period of the previous week. Globally, the week starting May 19 was the highest booking week of the year so far. Data tracking actual shipping over the past two weeks—which tends to lag behind container booking data in terms of changes—also shows a similar slowdown trend. Over the past 15 days, approximately 34 vessels have sailed from Chinese ports to the US, a decrease from the rolling 15-day figure of 48 vessels in the previous week. The number of containers carried by these vessels has also decreased by one-third. "This is a constantly evolving situation," said Jayendu Krishna, Director of Drewry Maritime Services. "What we are witnessing is a continuous rebalancing between the supply chain and indicators such as freight rates, bookings, and sailings." Meanwhile, capacity on relevant trans-Pacific routes is also beginning to recover. Major container liner companies have committed to increasing capacity, and as demand improves, smaller freight forwarders are returning to the route after years of absence. CULines is capitalizing on the sudden boom in the trans-Pacific route and will begin offering shipping services across the Pacific, connecting multiple Chinese ports with Long Beach Port in the US; South Korea's KMTC Line will also resume trans-Pacific route services after decades of absence. China's overall trade volume remains high, with the total number of containers handled at Chinese ports last week increasing by 6% YoY, marking the 16th consecutive week of YoY growth.

Zhaoyuan in Shandong Province, China's county with the highest "gold content," saw its total output value of the gold industry exceed 100 billion yuan last year, ranking first among all county-level cities nationwide. The region has established an entire gold industry chain, spanning from upstream exploration and mining, midstream smelting and processing, to downstream design and retailing. Amidst the current scenario where gold prices have repeatedly hit new historical highs, the city exudes an air of opulence. Recently, a reporter from Cailian Press visited this small city and engaged in discussions with numerous individuals involved in the local gold industry chain to understand their perspectives on gold price trends, the situation of upstream reserve and production increases, the recent developments in midstream smelting and processing, as well as the new trends emerging in the "time-honored" downstream gold jewelry sector. Upstream: Reserve and Production Increases in Progress The Jiaodong region, where Zhaoyuan is located, is China's largest gold ore concentration area, with proven gold resources exceeding 5,800 mt, accounting for 35% of the country's total reserves. Notable ore-controlling faults in the region include the Sanshandao Fault, Jiaojia Fault, Zhaoping Fault, and Jinniushan Fault. Among them, Zhaoyuan's gold resources are mainly distributed within the fault structures of the Zhaoping Fault Zone, with the Linglong ore field in the north being a world-class ore field with reserves exceeding 1,000 mt. Currently, Zhaoyuan boasts two gold mines under active exploitation that rank among China's top ten gold mines. One of them, the Linglong Gold Mine, belongs to Shandong Gold Group, while the other, the Xiadian Gold Mine, belongs to Zhaojin Group. In addition, enterprises such as China National Gold Group Corporation and Jindu State Investment also possess abundant resources in the local area. With the soaring international gold prices—which surged by 26.8% throughout last year and even exceeded $3,500 per ounce at one point this year—the topic of gold prices has begun to attract increasing discussions. Industry insiders in Zhaoyuan told Cailian Press, "The pricing mechanism of gold is based on credit, influenced by supply and demand dynamics, and underpinned by mining costs. From a medium and long-term perspective, the upward trend is evident." The sustained increase in gold prices has profound implications for gold mining enterprises. On one hand, the production cost per gram of gold for major domestic publicly listed gold firms mostly fell within the 200-300 yuan range last year, and the rise in gold prices directly boosted their profits. On the other hand, the increase in gold prices has made it economically viable to mine ore deposits with lower grades or higher costs, leading to significant reserve and production increases for gold mining enterprises. According to the 2025 Zhaoyuan Government Work Report, key local enterprises in Zhaoyuan "achieved remarkable results in reserve and production increases last year," implementing a total of 17 in-region exploration projects and 2 out-of-region M&A projects. The annual new gold reserves reached 178.2 mt, and self-produced gold output amounted to 28.1 mt, representing increases of 10.5% and 16.1%, respectively. The local target for 2025 is to strive for gold production to exceed 31.25 mt and to increase proven reserves by 33.3 mt. Midstream: Gold Bars in Undersupply Zhaoyuan is not only rich in gold ore resources but also serves as the country's largest base for gold intensive and deep processing. Zhaojin Refining, a subsidiary of Zhaojin Group, is the leading enterprise in the local deep-processing industry chain. It holds certifications from the Shanghai Gold Exchange, Shanghai Futures Exchange, and London Bullion Market Association as a "qualified refiner capable of producing standard gold and silver ingots." With an annual refining capacity of 200 mt of gold and 1,000 mt of silver, it ranks first in the industry in terms of gold refining production. Local industry insiders told Cailian Press that gold refining has become fully marketized, with thin profit margins. Core competitiveness depends on production and management efficiency. However, as gold prices doubled over the past two years, processing fees also rose significantly, leading to a substantial improvement in profitability and keeping the entire industry at a high prosperity level this year. Additionally, Zhaojin Refining collaborates extensively with major domestic banks in the field of gold deep-processing, offering comprehensive services including design, processing, distribution, repurchase, customization, and warehousing logistics for precious metal products. Since last year, there has been an "explosive" surge in public demand for investment gold bars, with orders pouring in continuously. Zhaojin Refining's gold bar production workshop once had its production schedule booked a month in advance, forcing workers to work overtime. Due to its heavy involvement in physical gold trading, upstream and midstream gold mining companies need to use "futures + options" combinations for risk hedging and price protection to mitigate market risks caused by gold price fluctuations. Seizing this opportunity, Zhaojin Group entered the futures market, and its subsidiary Shandong Zhaojin Investment Co., Ltd. became one of the largest gold traders on the Shanghai Gold Exchange, consistently ranking among the top three comprehensive members. This serves as a model for the integration of industry and finance in the gold sector. Downstream: Repositioning of Gold Jewelry The rapid rise in gold prices has not been universally welcomed in the gold industry chain, with some benefiting while others suffer—particularly downstream gold jewelry retailers. This is because when gold prices rise from low levels, the increase stimulates jewelry consumption. However, once prices reach a psychological high, further increases tend to suppress jewelry demand. Consequently, since H2 last year, typical gold jewelry stocks such as Lao Feng Xiang, Caibai Co., Ltd., and China Gold have generally faced declining performance and stock prices, starkly contrasting with the continuous climb in gold prices. However, against the backdrop of persistently high gold prices, will gold jewelry consumption inevitably continue to shrink? In Zhaoyuan, industry insiders hold differing views. "If you look at the three newly emerging jewelry brands—Laopu, Linchao, and Junpei—they remain completely unaffected by the surge in gold prices." The professional attributes this to the core strategy of brands like Laopu, which emphasize ancient-style gold jewelry with a focus on design, craftsmanship, and artistic value. These brands align with the current trend of Chinese aesthetic revival and psychologically "capture" consumers, making them view their purchases as luxury or collectible items, thereby desensitizing them to the relationship between product pricing and real-time gold prices. "This brings us a profound insight: the competition in the gold jewelry industry is increasingly focused on product strength and design. The new generation of consumers, including young people, place greater emphasis on the self-pleasing and collectible attributes of gold jewelry. Only by continuously exerting efforts in this dimension can we break through in an environment of high gold prices." Currently, Zhaojin Group is focusing on building its brand "Zhaojin Silver House" (formerly known as Zhaoyuan Silver Workshop, established in 1908). It has launched product series such as "Contemporary Treasure" and "Dunhuang Splendid Ornaments," attempting to secure a place in the fiercely competitive gold retail market through innovative designs that integrate traditional culture. In Zhaoyuan, beyond the traditional business models of gold mining, smelting, and retail, efforts are being made to explore more economic growth points centered around gold themes. Today, Zhaoyuan is promoting the deep integration of "gold + culture + tourism" offline, attempting to leverage the Gold Town to delve into the millennium-old gold culture and experience the intangible cultural heritage of the Song Dynasty. It is constructing a new pattern of integrated development of industry, culture, and tourism that encompasses "mining gold, making gold, playing with gold, buying gold, and exchanging gold," further cultivating a characteristic cultural tourism IP of "China's Gold Capital." Locals in Zhaoyuan say that the charm of gold lies in its heritage from antiquity, yet it always manages to remain fresh and relevant.

[SMM Flash News: COMEX Gold and SHFE Gold Hit Record Highs, Precious Metals Futures and Stocks Surge, Spot Silver Trading Remains Sluggish] Recently, a series of disappointing economic data released by the US, coupled with the unpredictable US tariff policies, has reignited concerns over a US economic recession. Adding to this, the escalation of geopolitical conflicts has heightened market risk aversion, driving a surge in precious metals futures and stocks. As of 15:05 on March 14, COMEX gold rose 0.22% to $2,898/oz, hitting a record high of $3,005.9/oz during the session; COMEX silver increased 0.78% to $34.575/oz, reaching a more than 4-month high of $34.685/oz during the session; SHFE gold climbed 1.83% to 694.96 yuan/g, setting a record high of 697.6 yuan/g during the session; SHFE silver advanced 2.82% to 8,358 yuan/kg, marking a more than 4-month high of 8,386 yuan/kg during the session.

On May 16, at the 2025 SMM (6th) Silver Industry Chain Innovation Conference , hosted by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (SMM), co-organized by Ningbo Haoshun Precious Metals Co., Ltd. and Quanda New Materials (Ningbo) Co., Ltd., and supported by sponsors including Fujian Zijin Precious Metals Materials Co., Ltd., Huizhou Yian Precious Metals Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Jiangshan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Zhengzhou Jinquan Mining and Metallurgical Equipment Co., Ltd., Hunan Shengyin New Materials Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Weida Precious Metals Powder Materials Co., Ltd., Guangxi Zhongma Zhonglianjin Cross-border E-commerce Co., Ltd., Suzhou Xinghan New Materials Technology Co., Ltd., Yongxing Zhongsheng Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., IKOI S.p.A., Hunan Zhengming Environmental Protection Co., Ltd., Kunshan Hongfutai Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., and Shandong Humon Smelting Co., Ltd., Wu Chao, the Executive Director/Director of the Silver Compounds and Materials Preparation Laboratory at the Nanyang Silver New Materials Engineering Technology Research Center/Tongbai Hongxin New Materials Co., Ltd., shared insights on the theme of "Current Status and Development Trends of China's Silver Nitrate Industry Technology Market." 1. Overview of the Silver Nitrate Industry Basic Properties of Silver Nitrate ► Characteristics and Functions of Silver Nitrate Appearance: Silver nitrate appears as colorless, transparent orthorhombic crystals or white crystals, with unique physical characteristics. Strong Oxidizing Properties: Silver nitrate is a strong oxidizing agent, exhibiting significant oxidizing capabilities in chemical reactions. Solubility: Silver nitrate is highly soluble in water and alkalis, slightly soluble in C₂H₅OC₂H₅. Its solubility characteristics influence its range of applications. Major Application Areas of Silver Nitrate PV Applications: The importance of silver powder in PV silver paste is undeniable, with over 95% of the world's PV silver powder produced using the liquid-phase reduction method with silver nitrate as the raw material. Electronics Applications: Used in various components and electrical contact materials in the microelectronics industry, as well as a common reagent in analytical chemistry. Catalysts: In domestic petrochemical enterprises, thousands of tons of silver catalysts are used annually. Pharmaceutical Industry: Used as anti-inflammatory and corrosive agents, such as burn ointments and medical disinfectant gauzes. Environmental Protection and Resource Recovery: Removes chloride ions from wastewater (forming silver chloride precipitate) or acts as a precipitant for heavy metal ions (such as sulphides); silver recovery technologies for silicon wafer cutting wastewater and electroplating wastewater in the PV industry (e.g., ion exchange, electrolysis). Chemical and Analytical Detection: Serves as a precursor for preparing other silver compounds (e.g., silver ammonium nitrate, silver oxide) and silver nanomaterials (e.g., silver nanoparticles, nanowires). Photographic Materials: Over 50% of the world's silver is used in manufacturing photographic materials. Silver salts, with silver nitrate as the base material, form the photosensitive layer in photographic materials. Mirror Manufacturing: Silver-coated glass has excellent reflectivity, with the best mirrors currently made using silver, with silver nitrate as the base material. 2. Current Status of the Technology Market Current Status of Production Processes Characteristics of Traditional Processes: Traditional silver nitrate production processes are relatively simple to operate and require less sophisticated equipment. However, they suffer from low production efficiency, high energy consumption, and limited product purity. For example, using simple dissolution and evaporation processes results in long production cycles and incomplete removal of impurities. Difficulties in Capacity Expansion: Capacity expansion is constrained by multiple factors, with aging equipment and outdated processes being the main reasons. Existing production lines are difficult to expand on a large scale, and intelligent upgrades are challenging. The high cost and long cycle of building new production lines make it difficult for most enterprises to meet the rapidly growing market demand. Directions for Process Improvement: Process improvement focuses on enhancing production efficiency and product quality while reducing energy consumption and environmental pollution. This can be achieved by introducing automated control systems to precisely control reaction conditions and developing new catalysts to optimize reaction pathways, thereby achieving green and efficient production. Current Status of Quality Control Quality Standard System: China has established a relatively comprehensive quality standard system for silver nitrate, specifying indicators such as purity and impurity content. For example, national standards set clear limits for silver content, chloride, sulfate, and other impurities in different grades of silver nitrate to ensure stable product quality. Detection Technologies: Various technologies are used to detect the quality of silver nitrate, including chemical analysis and spectroscopic analysis. Chemical analysis can accurately determine silver and impurity content, while spectroscopic analysis can quickly and sensitively detect trace impurities, providing a reliable basis for quality control. Quality Improvement Measures: Quality improvement measures include optimizing production processes, strengthening raw material quality control, and improving detection procedures. Strictly screening raw materials to reduce impurity introduction, strengthening monitoring during production to adjust process parameters in a timely manner, and increasing detection frequency and items to ensure products meet high standards. Current Status and Analysis of Patent Applications From 2023 to 2024, patent applications in the silver nitrate field exhibited characteristics of "preparation process dominance, accelerated environmental protection technology, and rising equipment innovation." Optimization of preparation processes and equipment dominated, while environmental protection technology became a competitive focus. Future technological breakthroughs may further concentrate on high-purity production, green synthesis, and new energy applications. Current Major Silver Nitrate Standards in China Chemical Reagent Silver Nitrate Standard: The chemical reagent silver nitrate standard GB/T 670-2007 specifies multiple indicators, including content, appearance, and pH value. For example, it has clear provisions for clarity, chloride, sulfate, and other impurities, providing detailed criteria for quality control of chemical reagent silver nitrate. Industrial Silver Nitrate Standard: The industrial silver nitrate standard GB/T 44758-2024 classifies quality into three grades: first, second, and third. In addition to common indicators such as content and appearance, it also specifies requirements for silver ammonia solution reactions and various impurities such as Cu and Fe to ensure industrial application quality. It will be officially implemented on May 1, 2025. Photographic Silver Nitrate Standard: The photographic silver nitrate standard YS/T 476-2002 is formulated based on the special needs of the photographic industry for silver nitrate. It has specific requirements for content and impurities to meet the strict quality standards of photographic silver nitrate for photographic materials. Market Competition Pressures Supply and Demand Analysis of China's Silver Nitrate Market: China's silver nitrate market entered an investment peak period starting in 2023, with the capacity of 16 key silver nitrate planning projects included in statistics reaching 52,200 mt from 2023 to 2025. Although the market demand for silver nitrate continues to grow, it lags far behind the pace of capacity expansion, leading to increasingly significant overcapacity issues and intensifying competition among enterprises. Significant price fluctuation risks for silver, with an amplitude of ±34% in the past three years. In particular, silver prices have remained high in recent years, leading to a sharp increase in costs and seriously affecting the stability of corporate profits. To avoid risks, enterprises have to be cautious in reinvesting and controlling costs, indirectly affecting R&D progress and delaying technological updates. 3. Development Trends Outlook Demand Analysis in Application Areas With the continuous implementation of new energy policies and the decline in the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for PV in countries worldwide, the global PV market continues to expand, and new PV installations continue to increase, driving up the demand for silver nitrate in the solar cell sector. In 2024, the proportion of silver nitrate used in global PV silver paste has already Accounting for 34% of the total production, China, as the world's largest producer of PV modules, contributed 62% of the procurement volume. This proportion is expected to rise from 34% to 45% by 2030. New Energy Penetration Increase: The technological penetration rate of new energy batteries is projected to increase from 12% in 2025 to 28% in 2030. The primary driving force behind this growth is the sharp increase in demand for materials in the battery industry, which will become a major driver for the growth in silver nitrate market demand. Electronics Industry Process Upgrade: In the electronics industry, the upgrade of silver-plating processes for communication devices in 5G base stations and the rapid growth of the AI industry have led to a surge in demand for high-purity silver nitrate. This drives the development of silver nitrate for electronic applications towards higher quality and more advanced technologies. Breakthroughs in Biomedicine: In the biomedical field, due to breakthroughs in antibacterial coating technology, the penetration rate of silver nitrate solutions in antibacterial coating-related products is expected to increase from 18% in 2024 to 35% in 2030. This will drive the average annual growth rate of the market size for pharmaceutical-grade silver nitrate to reach 12.2%. Market-Driven Technological Advancements 1. Green and Environmentally Friendly Technologies: Membrane separation technology is widely applied in silver nitrate production, with nanofiltration membranes removing macromolecular impurities and ion exchange membranes enabling silver ion recovery. New-type enterprises have adopted these technologies on a large scale, reducing silver ion emissions in wastewater from 0.05 mg/L to 0.01 mg/L and achieving a wastewater reuse rate of 85%. 2. Intelligent Production Technologies: Microreactor technology offers significant advantages, utilizing continuous flow reactions with precise temperature control (±1℃). This reduces reaction time from 6 hours to 45 minutes and increases the capacity utilisation rate to 85%. It also reduces energy consumption by 30%, limits impurity residues to ≤5 ppm, and achieves a silver recovery rate of 98.5%. 3. High-Performance Product Technologies: Continuous crystallization processes are becoming increasingly popular, employing multi-stage low-temperature vacuum crystallization (-10℃~5℃) to increase single-line capacity by 40%. This process enhances purity from 99.5% to 99.99% and reduces unit energy consumption and production costs. Industrial Policy Constraints and Opportunities Environmental Protection Policy Orientation: Environmental protection policy orientation encourages silver nitrate enterprises to adopt green production processes, reduce pollutant emissions, and improve resource utilization. For instance, in recent years, environmental protection authorities have mandated that enterprises meet heavy metal content standards in wastewater discharge, prompting enterprises to improve their production processes. Related investments in technological transformation have increased average costs for small enterprises by approximately 15%. Policy Support Opportunities Policy support opportunities provide a boost to the development of the silver nitrate industry. The government offers tax incentives, financial support, and other policies to environmentally friendly and high-tech enterprises, providing strong guarantees for the development of the silver nitrate industry. Safety Policy Requirements Safety policy requirements are becoming increasingly stringent, covering aspects such as product quality and production safety. Enterprises need to establish a comprehensive quality management system and a safe production system to ensure that products meet national standards. For example, the issue of dedicated vehicle transportation for silver nitrate products has increased production costs by 5-10%. Finally, it introduced the general situation of Tongbai Hongxin New Materials Co., Ltd., its work in standard formulation, market advantages, and the development of Hongxin New Materials' silver nitrate. 》Click to view the special report on the 2025 SMM (6th) Silver Industry Chain Innovation Conference