Recently, Wanzhou, Chongqing accelerated the construction of a red mud comprehensive utilization project. Some equipment had already been installed, and the project was expected to be completed and put into operation by the end of June this year. Reportedly, the project was one of three subprojects under an aluminum semis comprehensive utilization project with a total investment of 5.2 billion yuan. Covering about 450 mu, the project used industrial solid waste such as red mud generated from alumina production by Chongqing Jiulong Wanbo New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. as raw material, adopted the rotary kiln sintering process, and produced 1.5 million mt of high-alumina clinker annually, promoting resource recycling and achieving cost reduction, efficiency improvement.

At 10 a.m. on March 28, the side-blown furnace of Jiangxi Jiangtong Tongxin Environmental Protection Resource Comprehensive Utilization and Environmental Protection Equipment Manufacturing Phase II Project was successfully ignited, marking the full commissioning of Jiangxi Copper Group’s first full-chain project for solid waste resource utilization and environmental protection equipment manufacturing.

Recently, the Fuding Ecological Environment Bureau in Ningde City, Fujian Province, released the acceptance announcement for the environmental impact assessment document of the "Lithium Battery Material (General Industrial Solid Waste) Collection and Recycling Project" undertaken by an environmental protection technology company in Ningde. This project involves the recycling and processing of waste battery materials and waste lithium battery electrode sheet materials. It utilizes anode (negative electrode) sheets to separate copper particles and graphite powder through crushing and screening processes. The project has an annual capacity of recycling 30,000 tons of waste battery materials and processing 50,000 tons of waste lithium battery electrode sheet materials.

Indian steelmaker Tata Steel intends to transform its plant in Kalinganagar (Odisha state) into its largest production site with a steel output capacity of over 16 million tons per year. The company has currently invested 50 billion rupees in Kalinganagar. This has been the largest organic capacity expansion in Tata Steel’s history (from 3 to 8 million tons). Its key milestone was the introduction of India’s largest blast furnace at the plant. The plant currently produces over 100 grades of high-quality steel used in the automotive, infrastructure, engineering, and energy sectors. Overall, the state of Odisha has become the largest investment destination for Tata Steel in the country. The Kalinganagar plant is ResponsibleSteel certified and operates as a zero liquid discharge facility. At the same time, it ensures 100% utilization of solid waste.

On September 8, Qichacha APP showed that Jingmen GEM Recycling High-Tech Co., Ltd. was recently established, with Peng Tao as its legal representative. The company is wholly owned by GEM's holding company, Jiangxi GEM Recycling Industry Co., Ltd. Its main business scope includes: R&D of resource recycling technologies; smelting of rare and rare-earth metals; smelting of common non-ferrous metals; solid waste treatment; sales of new-type metal functional materials, etc. This move comes as GEM prepares for its upcoming listing.

[Xining's 10,000-mt-scale Waste Lithium-ion Battery Processing Project Lands] Recently, the People's Government of Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County, Xining City, Qinghai Province, released the second public consultation information on the environmental impact report for the "Comprehensive Utilization Project (Phase II) for Hazardous and Solid Waste from Electrolytic Aluminum Production by Qinghai Haiding Group Qinghai Dingneng Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd." The advancement of this project holds significant importance for local resource recycling and ecological environmental protection. The project is located on the north side of Qingping Road in Beichuan Industrial Park, Datong County, Xining City, with an investment of 220 million yuan. Upon completion, it will achieve an annual processing capacity of 80,000 mt of overhaul slag and 20,000 mt of carbon slag, producing 3,108 mt of industrial-grade lithium carbonate, 2,124 mt of potassium chloride, 8,934 mt of sodium chloride, 9,796 mt of sulfate mixtures (a mixture of sodium sulphate and potassium sulphate), 17,928 mt of dry impermeable materials, 2,084 mt of magnesium fluoride, 26,214 mt of graphite powder, 30,840 mt of regenerated electrolyte, and 8,000 mt of steel bars annually.

On June 10, 2025, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) of the People's Republic of China officially announced the "Announcement on Matters Related to Regulating the Import Management of Recycled Black Mass Raw Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries and Recycled Steel Raw Materials".

Recently, to promote the recycling of renewable resources and standardize the import management of regenerated black mass raw materials for lithium-ion batteries and regenerated steel raw materials, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the General Administration of Customs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the "Announcement on Matters Related to Standardizing the Import Management of Regenerated Black Mass Raw Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries and Regenerated Steel Raw Materials," which will come into effect on August 1, 2025.

Recently, the Administrative Approval Bureau of Ganzhou City issued a public notice on administrative approval applications, announcing that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the 15,000 mt/year lithium carbonate project (re-application) of Jiangxi Xiangnan New Energy Co., Ltd. has been approved. It is reported that the project is located in the Xinhua Industrial Zone of Dayu Industrial Park, Jiangxi Province, with a total investment of 2.1 billion yuan, including 25 million yuan for environmental protection, accounting for 1.19% of the total investment. The main investments in this project include 90 million yuan for equipment, 50 million yuan for working capital, and 70 million yuan for other purposes (including environmental protection investment). The main product is 15,000 mt/year of battery-grade lithium carbonate, with a by-product of 73,483.25 mt/year of sodium sulfate decahydrate.

[US and UK Reach Trade Agreement Terms Including Import Car Quotas and Steel and Aluminum Tariffs] According to CCTV News, on June 16 local time, the US White House issued a statement indicating that US President Trump and UK Prime Minister Starmer jointly announced the general terms of a trade agreement. It is understood that under the general terms, the US plans to set an annual quota of 100,000 units for UK car imports, with a tariff rate of 10%. The UK has committed to making efforts to meet US requirements regarding the security of the supply chain for steel and aluminum products exported to the US, as well as the nature of ownership of relevant production facilities. On the premise that the UK meets these requirements, the US plans to promptly set "most-favored-nation" tariff quotas for steel and aluminum products, as well as certain derived steel and aluminum products, produced in the UK. In addition, both sides have committed to strengthening the supply chains for aerospace and aircraft manufacturing by establishing duty-free bilateral trade in certain aerospace products. The US has abolished tariffs imposed on the UK's aerospace industry under three previous executive orders. (Finance Link) [Ministry of Ecology and Environment Issues Announcement on Regulating the Import Management of Recycled Black Mass Raw Materials and Recycled Steel Raw Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries] On June 10, the General Office of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the "Announcement on Matters Related to Regulating the Import Management of Recycled Black Mass Raw Materials and Recycled Steel Raw Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries," as follows: 1. Recycled black mass raw materials for lithium-ion batteries that meet the requirements of Attached Table 1 are not classified as solid waste and may be freely imported. Recycled black mass raw materials cannot be mixed with other types of recycled raw materials, and different types of recycled raw materials cannot be declared under the same customs declaration form. Imported recycled black mass raw materials cannot be imported in bulk, and different categories of recycled black mass raw materials should be placed separately. 》Click to view details [Xiaomi Auto: Currently, There Are No Official Channels for Bulk Car Orders or Cash Subsidies] In the latest Q&A session with netizens on the evening of June 16, Xiaomi Auto stated that currently, there are no official channels for bulk car orders or cash subsidies from Xiaomi Auto. The public is advised not to believe such information, let alone engage in monetary transactions to avoid financial losses. When encountering similar sales information, the public is urged to carefully verify it and rely on information released through Xiaomi Auto's official channels. (Finance Link) [Bohai Auto: Plans to Acquire Stakes in Multiple Auto Parts Companies, Stock Resumes Trading] Bohai Auto (600960.SH) announced that the company plans to acquire a 51% stake in BAIC Mould & Plastic held by Hainachuan, a 51% stake in Langfang Adient, a 100% stake in Zhilian Technology, and a 50% stake in Leoni Wiring Systems through the issuance of shares and payment in cash, and will raise supporting funds. Following this transaction, the publicly listed firm will expand its main business to include automotive exterior parts, automotive seat frames, automotive electronics, automotive wiring harnesses, and other products. Upon completion of the transaction, the publicly listed firm will extend its product lines into more automotive parts sectors by integrating the R&D capabilities of the target company, thereby comprehensively enhancing the company's core competitiveness. The company's A-shares will resume trading from the market open on June 17, 2025. (Financial Associated Press) [Desay SV: Reaches Cooperation with Chery Automobile and Hyptec to Advance the Implementation of Intelligent Driving Technology] Desay SV stated on an interactive platform that the company has reached relevant cooperation with Chery Automobile to jointly develop an in-cabin and driving integrated central computing platform. This platform is built on the company's independently developed intelligent central computing platform, ICPS01E, and adopts an innovative single-chip multi-domain fusion solution, becoming the industry's first mass-producible in-cabin and driving integrated SOC product. This marks a significant breakthrough for the company in the core technology field of intelligent driving. Meanwhile, the company has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hyptec to jointly develop and accelerate the implementation of the next-generation in-cabin and driving integrated, and even central computing platforms, based on a new generation of high-performance computing chips, to meet the requirements of L4 high-level autonomous driving hardware and software systems. (Financial Associated Press) [Launch Meeting for the Special Project on Improving the Quality and Reliability of China's New Energy Vehicles Held in Beijing] The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) organized and held the "Launch Meeting for the Special Project on Improving the Quality and Reliability of China's New Energy Vehicles" in Beijing. More than 100 representatives and experts from China's automotive T10 enterprises, mainstream vehicle manufacturers in the industry, core component enterprises for batteries, motors, and electronic control systems, intelligent vision and key electronic component enterprises, as well as industry service institutions, attended the meeting. The meeting called on relevant parties in the NEV industry chain, particularly T10+ vehicle manufacturers, core system assembly enterprises, key component and module enterprises, and related institutions, to take proactive actions to accelerate the establishment of a quality and reliability innovation and development system; learn from advanced quality and reliability experiences, strengthen relevant cutting-edge basic research, and strive to advance the higher-quality development of the NEV industry and accelerate the construction of China as an automotive powerhouse. (Financial Associated Press) Related Readings: [SMM Analysis] Official HS Codes for Black Mass Imports and Exports: What Impact on Domestic Lithium Battery Recycling Enterprises? [SMM Analysis] Payment Terms for Automakers Shortened to 60 Days, Ushering in Major Changes in the Automotive Supply Chain [SMM Analysis] Breakthrough Achieved in Portugal's Lithium Mine Project, Accelerating Development of Europe's Largest Spodumene Deposit Weekly Summary of the Lithium Iron Phosphate Market in June [SMM Lithium Battery Market Analysis] [SMM Analysis] Behind the 60-Day Payment Commitment: Suppliers' Wry Smiles and Anticipations Cobalt Product Prices "Continuously Decline": Co3O4 Falls by 7,650 Yuan in a Single Week. Will It Stop Next Week? 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[Weekly Observations] [SMM Analysis] Impact of US Tariffs on China on the Export Methods and Prices of Chinese ESS Battery Cells to the US - Exploring Three Methods: "Direct Export from China, Re-Export via Malaysia, and US Domestic Production" (Part 1) [SMM Analysis] Impact of US Tariffs on China on the Export Methods and Prices of Chinese ESS Battery Cells to the US - Exploring Three Methods: "Direct Export from China, Re-Export via Malaysia, and US Domestic Production" (Part 2) [SMM Analysis] Impact of US Tariffs on China on the Export Methods and Prices of Chinese ESS Battery Cells to the US - Exploring Three Methods: "Direct Export from China, Re-Export via Malaysia, and US Domestic Production" (Part 3) [SMM Analysis] New Breakthrough in Lithium Battery Technology: Can a Single Injection Extend Battery Life?