From a supply-demand balance perspective, China's lithium carbonate market exhibited a tight balance in H1 2026, with sellers and buyers continuously seeking new equilibrium points amid bargaining.

Tightening supply policy in Indonesia, new import quotas and carbon costs in the EU, and tariff walls in the US pushed benchmark stainless steel prices higher across nearly every major market in the first half of 2026 — even as real demand stayed weak everywhere, turning global trade increasingly into a fight over market access rather than supply and demand.

On June 30, 2026, with the commissioning of the Huaneng Dezhou Xiaomiaozhuang 30 MW wind power project, the total installed capacity of wind and PV power in Shandong reached 130.56 million kW, and its share of the province’s total installed electricity capacity exceeded 50% for the first time in history, reaching 50.18%. This meant that wind and solar power, as new energy sources, officially became the mainstay of Shandong’s installed electricity capacity. Even more encouraging, if biomass and other new energy sources were included, Shandong’s installed new energy capacity had reached 135.51 million kW by the end of June, accounting for 52.09%; adding nuclear and hydropower, the province’s non-fossil energy installed capacity reached 145.3 million kW, with a share as high as 55.85%.

SMM July 2 News: Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh stated on Wednesday that US inflation upside risks have clearly cooled over the past four weeks, easing market concerns about aggressive rate hikes; he also indicated that no further forward guidance would be released on subsequent interest rate policy, refusing to disclose whether the US Fed needs to consider a rate hike at its next meeting; the US dollar weakened, and precious metals rebounded. As of around 16:09 on July 2, COMEX gold dropped 0.11% to $4,077.9/ounce; SHFE gold main contract rose 1.53% to 890.66 yuan/g; COMEX silver dropped 1.1% to $59.845/ounce; SHFE silver main contract rose 1.91% to 14,650 yuan/kg; silver T+D rose 2.95% to 14,551 yuan/kg. In the precious metals stock market, as of the close on July 2, the precious metals sector rose 4.21%, with individual stocks: Zhaojin Gold and Chifeng Gold hit their daily limit up, while Shanjin International, Xiaocheng Technology, Zhongjin Gold, and Western Gold led the gains. News [Warsh: Inflation Eases Over Past Four Weeks, AI Is Reshaping Economy, Forward Guidance Loses Necessity] On July 1, at the ECB's annual central bank forum in Sintra, Portugal, Warsh again clearly stated that the US Fed would not provide forward guidance on the future interest rate path , hoping that policymakers can engage in thorough discussions based on the latest data at each meeting, rather than previewing the policy direction to the market in advance. He said that US inflation risks had eased over the past four weeks, and the supply expansion brought by AI could profoundly change how the economy operates, with the US at the center of this transformation, but whether AI ultimately leads to inflation or deflation should be judged by the central bank based on data. Warsh said the US Fed is “charting a new path” and will no longer hint at the direction of interest rates in advance as it did in the past. He said: “We will hold our next meeting in four weeks, and I hope we can have a real family-style debate then.” He reiterated that forward guidance is not the right policy in the current economic situation, and the US Fed will continue to base its decisions on the latest economic data in the future, rather than committing to a policy path in advance. This means that the US Fed will rely more on real-time economic data rather than sending policy signals to the market in advance. Spot Market Silver In the spot market: On July 2, the reference average factory price of SMM 1# silver in the morning was 14,558 yuan/kg, up 3.35% from the previous trading day. In the spot market, overall offers remained firm early in the month, but transaction follow-through was slightly weak, and consumption performance fell short of expectations. As silver prices rebounded slightly, downstream wait-and-see sentiment intensified. In Shanghai, morning offers were mainly at TD+5 to +15 yuan/kg. Some smelters quoted on the high side, but actual buying interest was weak, with most deals clustered around TD+10 yuan/kg. In other regions, low-priced cargoes had basically been cleared, while offers in Shenzhen were mostly around TD+5-10 yuan/kg. Today, the market quoted premiums for the SHFE most-traded contract 2608 at a discount of 30 to 20 yuan/kg. Overall, a slight cooling in rate-hike expectations provided some support for precious metals prices. At the start of the month, the spot direction remained unclear. Maintenance at copper plants last month caused a slight disruption on the supply side, and offers generally maintained a slight premium structure. Views From Various Parties Regarding the outlook for precious metals, some institutions’ views are as follows: On July 1, the World Gold Council released the “2026 Mid-Year Outlook for the Global Gold Market.” Looking ahead to H2, gold’s valuation framework indicated that gold will continue to serve as a barometer of the global macro economy, with three main possible scenarios. From current levels, gold prices were broadly in line with market consensus: the market expected the US Fed to raise rates at least once in 2026, most likely in October; the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, and the European Central Bank were all set to tighten policy; and US Q2 inflation was expected to peak, near $3.9. If there were no major changes in the above environment, gold prices may trade around $4,100/oz within the year, with a fluctuation range of about ±5. If geopolitical or economic conditions deteriorate, or if interest-rate expectations shift, gold is expected to regain its upward momentum; however, only sufficiently strong signals of a global economic slowdown would be likely to drive a breakout to the upside. On the downside, a stronger US dollar, rate hikes exceeding expectations, and a rebound in market risk appetite were the main headwinds for gold prices; if gold prices remain below $4,000/oz, it may trigger further selling. However, based on historical performance, if gold prices fall by more than 10% from current levels, it may trigger “buy-the-dip” demand from long-term investors in multiple regions. State Street Investment Management said that, as the opportunity cost of holding gold and heightened volatility weighed on investor sentiment, bullish gold trades had been weak, and spot gold prices repeatedly tested the $4,000/oz support level. State Street believed that, although gold prices may be more volatile than in 2024-2025, the gold bull-cycle still has upside room, and the US Fed’s hawkish policy shift was expected not to change gold’s post-pandemic structural trend. State Street noted, “Since the US-Iran conflict, China’s retail gold imports have surged, and local premiums have risen in tandem, reflecting tightening fundamentals in China’s gold supply-demand balance.”State Street expects that over the next six to nine months gold prices could rise to the $4,750 to $5,500 per ounce range, with strong support in the $3,750 to $4,000 per ounce area. However, compared with the macro environment from January to February, the probability of gold prices reaching $5,500 to $6,250 per ounce is relatively small. (Zhitong Finance) State Street Investment Management strategists noted in a report that gold prices could reach $5,000 per ounce by early 2027, as the gold bull cycle remains persistent. They believe that as U.S. government debt rises, gold's role as a currency hedge is expected to be supported, while actual demand for gold remains strong. Global gold fund holdings (as a share of global mutual fund and exchange-traded fund assets) currently remain below State Street's target allocation of 3% to 10% for most portfolios. Moreover, they added that a hawkish pivot by the Fed should not alter gold’s structural post-pandemic trend. State Street expects base bullion prices to rise to $4,750 to $5,500 per ounce in the next six to nine months. (Jinshi Data APP) Analysts at Saxo Bank said, "The market has not yet attracted enough buying interest to establish that level as a support level." They also pointed out, "Even though energy prices have pulled back recently, investors still expect the Fed may further tighten monetary policy to combat an inflation rebound, and as a result, gold prices fell 14% in Q2, marking the worst quarterly performance since 2013." (Jinshi Data APP) CICC's latest research report pointed out that gold may have already overpriced rate hike expectations. Fed rate hikes are still not the base case, and the gold market may have overly priced in rate hike expectations, leaving room for a pullback this year. CICC's macro team believes that employment and consumption pressures, along with the expanding financing needs of the U.S. AI economy, may make it difficult for the Fed to materially turn hawkish, and monetary policy may be "hawkish in words but dovish in action." Based on the implied interest rate expectations model from gold prices, it is estimated that the current gold price around $4,000 per ounce has fully priced in three to four rate hikes, exceeding the rate hike expectations priced in by the interest rate futures market. Looking ahead, after the decline in oil prices is further reflected in U.S. short-term inflation data, the gold market's pricing of rate hike expectations may be corrected, and futures market short-term funds may have opportunities to cover short positions. (Jinshi Data APP) Li Xunlei, Deputy Director of the China Chief Economist Forum, pointed out that gold's long-term trend exhibits long bear markets and short bull markets. Since 1971, 30 years have been bear markets and 25 years have been bull markets, but each bull market has seen gains of over fivefold. A bull market typically lasts around 10 years. This gold bull run has now lasted nearly 10 years, with prices tripling during that time, so caution is warranted at this stage. (Jin10 Data App) Deutsche Bank analyst Michael Hsueh said the bank has cut its Q3 gold price forecast by over 20% to $4,300/oz and lowered its Q4 forecast by 17% to $4,800/oz. "Potential investors who would normally provide support are notably absent," he said, pointing to weak demand for exchange-traded funds and reduced buying appetite in some countries. (Jin10 Data App) Macquarie said profit-taking weighed on silver prices last month, and price action is once again driven by macro factors amid rising expectations for US Fed interest rate hikes. Similar to gold, silver prices are expected to move sideways for the rest of the year, then gradually decline into 2027, with inflationary pressures and the likelihood of further US Fed rate hikes limiting upside room. The higher inflation and bond yields, the greater the downward pressure. Silver, in particular, has been more susceptible to a pullback after outperforming gold, driven by bullish sentiment fueled by supply tightens, low inventory, and strong demand. Historically, silver pullbacks tend to be rapid. Macquarie expects silver to trade at $70/oz in Q4 this year and pull back to $65/oz by the end of 2027. (Jin10 Data APP) Recommended reads:

New country-by-country quotas reward South Korea's balanced access and Indonesia's hot-rolled position, while Taiwan, China, Vietnam and Turkey face a tighter squeeze once melt-and-pour disclosure rules bite from October 1.

On July 1, the stock price of Xingye Silver&Tin rose. As of the close on July 1, Xingye Silver&Tin gained 0.24% to 33.04 yuan per share. In terms of news: On June 30, Xingye Silver&Tin announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Xingye Gold (Hong Kong) Mining Co., Ltd., through its subsidiary, Atlantic Tin Pte. Ltd., currently holds 3,180,525 shares (75% equity) of Atlas Tin SAS (hereinafter referred to as the “Target Company”), making it the controlling shareholder of the Target Company. To fully control the project resources and rights, maximize the release of value from the tin ore assets, and enhance core competitiveness and sustainable operations, the company intends to acquire, through a newly established subsidiary outside China (not yet established, subject to final registration of equity transfer), the aggregate 1,060,175 shares (the remaining 25% equity) of the Target Company held by Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd. (collectively, the “Counterparties”). As the new overseas subsidiary has not yet been incorporated, the company and its wholly-owned subsidiary Xingye Gold (Hong Kong) will first sign a Share Purchase Agreement with the Counterparties, which stipulates that the acquisition will be completed by an entity designated by the acquirer. On June 30, 2026, the company and Xingye Gold (Hong Kong) completed the signing of the Share Purchase Agreement with the Counterparties. Upon completion of this transaction, the company will indirectly hold 100% equity of the Target Company through its subsidiaries, achieving full ownership. Details of the acquisition are as follows: 1. The company will designate a newly established overseas subsidiary (not yet established, subject to final registration of equity transfer) as the transferee to acquire 848,139 shares (20% equity) of the Target Company held by Toyota Tsusho Corporation for a consideration of $15,300,000, funded by its own funds or self-raised funds. 2. Xingye Gold (Hong Kong), a wholly-owned subsidiary, will designate a newly established overseas subsidiary (not yet established, subject to final registration) as the transferee to acquire 212,036 shares (5% equity) of the Target Company held by Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd. for a consideration of $7,813,570, funded by its own funds or self-raised funds. These two transactions together will acquire a total of 1,060,175 shares, representing 25% equity of the Target Company, for an aggregate consideration of $23,113,570. The transaction is accompanied by the signing of a Termination and Release Agreement, which will fully terminate the original Shareholders' Agreement of the Target Company upon completion of the closing, clarifying the historical rights and obligations of all parties. Regarding the mining rights of the transaction target, Xingye Silver&Tin introduced that the Target Company holds the Achmmach tin mine project, with the following details: 1. Basic Information of Mining Rights 2. Achmmach Tin Ore Resources In May 2026, Beijing SRK Resource Technology Co., Ltd. prepared the “Morocco Achmmach Project Competent Person's Report” in accordance with the JORC Code. As of December 31, 2025, with an underground mining tin cut-off grade of 0.27%, the mineral resources of the Achmmach project are as follows: The acquisition of all remaining equity held by the Japanese shareholder aims to achieve full ownership of the target company, terminate the original shareholder agreement, streamline the governance structure and enhance decision-making efficiency, secure full control of project resource rights and interests, maximize the release of value from the tin ore assets, strengthen synergy between operations in and outside China, and align with the company's global resource deployment strategy. Xingye Silver&Tin also outlined the impact of this transaction on the company: the target company has been included in the consolidated financial statements, and this acquisition of minority equity will not have a material impact on the company's current-period profit. In the future, all net profit of the target company will be attributable to shareholders of the publicly listed firm, continuously enhancing earnings attributable to parent company shareholders. The company has ample liquidity reserves, and there is no obstacle to paying the transaction consideration, which will not have a material adverse impact on the liquidity of daily operating funds. Following full ownership, the company can coordinate and advance mine construction and operations, leverage its mining development and management experience, accelerate project implementation, solidify tin resource reserves, and have a positive effect on the company's long-term operating performance. On June 26, Xingye Silver&Tin stated on an interactive platform while responding to investor inquiries that secondary market stock prices are affected by multiple factors such as the macro environment, industry cycles, and market sentiment. The company attaches great importance to secondary market performance, will continue to strengthen investor relations management and market communication, actively carry out information dissemination and market capitalization management, and earnestly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of all shareholders. On June 26, Xingye Silver&Tin stated on an interactive platform while responding to investor inquiries that, in accordance with the JORC Code, the Competent Person SRK uses only the current Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources as the basis for ore reserve conversion and production scheduling. However, in actual operations, through ongoing production drilling and exploration activities, the company may upgrade a portion of Inferred Mineral Resources and subsequently incorporate them into the actual mine mining and processing plan. Furthermore, the stope shapes generated by SRK using Deswik software through stope optimization may not align with the stope layout adopted in the company's daily production planning. Therefore, the company's future actual production schedule and operational performance may differ from the production schedule and related forecasts presented by SRK. On the performance front: Xingye Silver&Tin disclosed in its Q1 report that from January to March 2026, the company achieved operating revenue of RMB2,129.8691 million, up 85.32% YoY; net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was RMB1,337.6722 million, up 257.32% YoY. As of March 31, 2026, the company's total assets amounted to RMB19,688.8316 million, and net assets attributable to shareholders of the listed company were RMB10,825.4666 million. Operating Revenue Composition: For January to March 2026, the operating revenue of the company's main mineral products as a share of total operating revenue was as follows: ore-derived silver revenue was RMB1,410.1104 million (66.21%), ore-derived tin revenue was RMB234.0354 million (10.99%), ore-derived zinc revenue was RMB228.1249 million (10.71%), ore-derived lead revenue was RMB71.8509 million (3.37%), ore-derived antimony revenue was RMB53.1029 million (2.49%), ore-derived gold revenue was RMB51.0181 million (2.40%), ore-derived iron revenue was RMB44.1733 million (2.07%), ore-derived copper revenue was RMB35.6489 million (1.67%), and ore-derived indium revenue was RMB0.5241 million (0.02%). Among these, the combined operating revenue share of ore-derived tin and ore-derived silver reached 77.19%. Xingye Silver&Tin's Q1 report announcement stated: operating profit for the current period increased 238.16% YoY, total profit increased 236.36% YoY, and net profit attributable to owners of the parent company increased 257.32% YoY. The main reasons: During the reporting period, the selling prices of the company's main mineral products such as silver and tin rose compared with the same period last year; Yubang Mining's capacity was gradually released, leading to significant YoY increases in ore-derived silver production and sales volume; and the disposal of a 60% stake in Shuangyuan Nonferrous generated investment income of RMB321 million. Xingye Silver&Tin's 2025 annual report shows that in 2025, the company achieved operating revenue of RMB5,555.2536 million, up 30.09% YoY; total profit of RMB2,096.2370 million, up 18.75% YoY; and net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company of RMB1,704.2393 million, up 11.40% YoY. Xingye Silver&Tin’s announcement shows: In 2025, the operating revenue of the company's main mineral products as a share of total operating revenue was as follows: ore-derived silver revenue was RMB2,175.7825 million (39.17%), ore-derived tin revenue was RMB1,649.6398 million (29.70%), ore-derived zinc revenue was RMB975.8673 million (17.57%), ore-derived lead revenue was RMB220.9450 million (3.98%), ore-derived iron revenue was RMB180.3799 million (3.25%), ore-derived copper revenue was RMB133.0043 million (2.39%), ore-derived antimony revenue was RMB100.3568 million (1.81%), ore-derived gold revenue was RMB82.3402 million (1.48%), and ore-derived bismuth revenue was RMB16.6744 million (0.30%). Among these, the combined operating revenue share of ore-derived tin and ore-derived silver reached 68.86%. Regarding the company's main business and key performance drivers, Xingye Silver&Tin stated in its 2025 annual report: The company is a large mining group principally engaged in the exploration, mining, and beneficiation of non-ferrous and precious metals. As of the disclosure date of this report, the company has over 20 subsidiaries, including 8 mining companies in operation: Yinman Mining, Qianjinda Mining, Yubang Mining, Rongguan Mining, Xilin Mining, Rongbang Mining, Ruineng Mining, and Bosheng Mining. The Achmmach tin mine under Atlas Tin SAS, a subsidiary of Atlantic Tin, is in the construction phase; Tanghe Shidai Mining is in suspension, while Yitong Mining and Yunnan Xigui are in the exploration phase. Hainan Fund is primarily engaged in equity investment management; Xingye Gold (Hong Kong) is mainly engaged in metals and mining trade and corporate M&A, responsible for expanding into markets outside China and acquiring high-quality overseas mineral resources; Hainan International Trade and Tianjin International Trade are primarily engaged in non-ferrous metal ore product sales and some raw material procurement; Xingye Ruijin primarily undertakes process research, technology R&D, and upgrading in areas such as prospecting, mining and beneficiation, and comprehensive tailings recycling. Tibet Shannan Antimony Gold, Tibet Xinda Mining, and Xing'an League Fuxingtun Mining serve as the company's regional resource integration platforms. During the reporting period, the company successfully acquired an 85% stake in Yubang Mining. According to statistics from the Silver Institute as of the end of 2023, Yubang Mining's single silver mine ranks first in Asia and fifth globally. This acquisition further strengthened the company's resource advantages and laid a solid resource foundation for its sustainable development. At the same time, using its subsidiary Xingye Gold (Hong Kong) as the investment vehicle, the company intensified investments in mineral resources outside China and successfully acquired a 100% stake in Atlantic Tin, a key move in executing its "going global" strategy. Based on the large-scale tin mine classification standard in the "Classification Standard for Resource/Reserve Scale of Mineral Resources" (DZ/T 0400-2022), the Achmmach tin mine owned by Atlantic Tin is now equivalent to five large deposits. Through this consolidation of overseas tin ore resources, the company has further refined its international tin layout and reserved vital strategic resources for long-term development. The company's main performance is derived from its non-ferrous metal mining and beneficiation business. During the reporting period, revenue from this segment accounted for 99.64% of total 2025 operating revenue. The main factors influencing the operating performance of the mining and beneficiation segment include the production and sales volume of major products, market prices, and the costs of the non-ferrous and precious metal mining and beneficiation business. Regarding its operating plan, Xingye Silver&Tin stated in its 2025 annual report: 2026 is the final year of the company's "Second Three-Year" Plan. The board will closely focus on the theme of high-quality development, fully implement established work objectives, continuously deepen the concept of "trust and collaboration," and make an all-out push toward the plan's concluding goals, with a focus on the following: 1. Uphold the bottom lines of safety and environmental protection, using the 2026 "Year of Implementing Safety Management" as a lever to fully enforce safety responsibilities, consolidate the achievements of the "Year of Collective Safety Calm," and enhance risk anticipation and process control to resolutely prevent all types of safety and environmental accidents, achieving safe, stable, and green-low carbon development. 2. Vigorously advance key project construction, strengthen whole-process management of project budgets, schedules, and quality, and coordinate the implementation of projects including the 2.97 million mt capacity upgrade and expansion at Yinman Mining, the 8.25 million mt capacity upgrade and expansion at Yubang Mining, the Morocco project, and the Budun Yingen Mining (trusteeship) project, ensuring they are completed and reach full production on schedule to release capacity benefits. 3. Continue to intensify exploration and resource increase efforts, balance the relationship between production operations and geological exploration, steadily advance exploration at existing mines and surrounding areas, accelerate resource-to-reserve conversion and upgrades, and continuously strengthen the resource foundation. 4. Deepen industrial synergy and resource integration, leverage the core regional advantages of Inner Mongolia, steadily expand overseas resource deployment; adhere to silver and tin as the main business direction, enriching and optimizing the resource portfolio. Solidly advance the subsequent acquisition and integration of Weiling Shares, actively track high-quality mineral project opportunities in and outside China, and enhance overall competitiveness through industrial synergy-driven M&A. 5. Further strengthen institutional enforcement and internal control management, ensure that all systems, processes, and control requirements are effectively implemented, and elevate the company's refined management level; reinforce enforcement capacity to guarantee that production plans, comprehensive budgets, and all work deployments are fully executed, and promote deep integration of corporate culture and operational management. 6. Push forward preparations for a Hong Kong listing at full speed, accelerate the establishment of dual capital market platforms in and outside China, enhance cross-border capital operation capabilities, provide stronger financial support for resource integration and strategy execution, and propel the company's high-quality sustainable development to a new level. A Guosen Securities research report dated April 24 showed: The company's production of major mineral species has steadily increased in recent years. In 2025, growth was driven by both higher silver prices and volumes, while the surge in tin prices offset the impact on production volume. Externally-driven M&A achieved notable results, lifting silver and tin resource reserves to a new level. In 2025, the company completed two major strategic acquisitions. 1) Acquisition of an 85% stake in Yubang Mining: The company acquired the 85% stake for RMB2.388 billion in January 2025. Yubang Mining is the largest single silver mine in Asia and the fifth largest globally. This acquisition increased the company's silver metal resources to 29,800 mt, significantly elevating its industry standing. 2) Acquisition of a 100% stake in Atlantic Tin: The company completed the acquisition in August 2025, gaining its Achmmach tin mine in Morocco. The mine holds tin metal resources of 213,300 mt, equivalent to five large tin deposits, boosting the company's total tin metal resources to 391,600 mt. Risk warnings: risks that the company's resource development progress falls short of expectations; risk of wild swings in metal prices.

When asked, "The company extracts the following by-products during copper smelting: rhenium, germanium, indium, gallium, bismuth, selenium, tellurium, platinum, palladium, antimony, and cadmium. Is this true? And what was the annual production of each in tonnes in 2025? Please reply, thank you!" Tongling Nonferrous Metals responded on the investor interaction platform on June 29 that the company fully leverages its comprehensive resource utilization advantages, recovering associated platinum, palladium, rhenium, and other rare and scattered metals during the copper smelting process to enhance by-product profit contribution, and the overall production volume accounts for a relatively small share. The company's overall operating performance of the rare and scattered metals business in 2025 has been reflected in the annual report. Tongling Nonferrous Metals replied to investor questions on the investor interaction platform on June 29: (1) The company's main business includes copper ore mining and beneficiation, smelting, and copper processing, and it has competitive advantages in mineral resource reserves, copper smelting, and deep processing. It is one of the most comprehensive integrated copper producers in China, with horizontal expansion and vertical extension of its industry chain, giving it a competitive edge in industry chain integration. (2) As of now, the specific projects related to the industrial park mentioned above are still in the preliminary survey and proposal evaluation stage; no final decisions have been made, nor have internal reviews or relevant administrative approval procedures been carried out. There is a degree of uncertainty about project implementation. The company will strictly comply with information disclosure laws, regulations, and regulatory requirements, and will perform its information disclosure obligations in a timely manner when the projects achieve substantive progress and meet disclosure thresholds. All material matters of the company are subject to the formal announcements published on the designated information disclosure media. Investors are advised to invest rationally and be mindful of investment risks. (3) Regarding the client situation of Jinxin Copper Branch, please refer to the company's announcements on statutory information disclosure platforms. Tongling Nonferrous Metals stated on the investor interaction platform on June 29: The copper wire rod capacity of Jinxin Copper Branch is in the process of gradual release; subsequently, based on market demand and its existing capacity, it will effectively plan capacity to ensure efficient resource allocation. As of now, Jinxin Copper's orders are normal and all operations are proceeding in an orderly manner. For specific orders and shipment volumes, please refer to the company's announcements on the statutory information disclosure platform. In response to the questions: "1. What was the average selling price of the 6.21 million mt of sulphuric acid produced in 2025? And what were the sales volume and average selling price of sulphuric acid in the first five months of this year? 2. What is the specific reason for the asset impairment loss of 1.627 billion yuan in Q1 2026? With non-ferrous metal prices generally rising, is the company's earlier provision for inventory impairment hiding profits? After the inventory for which impairment has been provided is sold, will profit be restored by an equivalent amount? 3. The company holds 600 million shares of Tongguan Copper Foil. Based on today's closing price of 200 yuan, the equity position has an unrealized gain of 119 billion yuan. Does the company plan to sell at an opportune time to realize the investment gain?" Tongling Nonferrous Metals replied on the investor interaction platform on June 26: 1. Regarding sulphuric acid sales volume and average selling price: Sulphuric acid is a by-product of the company's smelting process, and its selling price is market-oriented, affected by multiple factors including regional supply-demand patterns and demand from downstream fertilizer and chemical industries. The company's overall operating performance of the sulphuric acid business in 2025 has been reflected in the annual report, and 2026 operating data should be referred to in subsequent periodic reports disclosed by the company. The company will continue to monitor the sulphuric acid market and dynamically optimize production and sales pace to maximize the operating profit of by-products. 2. For the reasons for the Q1 2026 asset impairment provision, please refer to the company's Announcement on Asset Impairment Provision (Announcement No.: 2026-024) disclosed on cninfo.com.cn on April 29, 2026. The company strictly follows accounting standards for enterprise accounting treatment, and there is no hiding of profits. According to accounting standards, when inventory for which a price decline provision has been made is subsequently sold, the corresponding inventory price decline provision is simultaneously written off, reducing the current period's operating costs, thereby positively restoring profit for the period. However, it is not an equivalent amount; the write-off amount is capped at the originally provided amount for that inventory and will not generate additional profit beyond the original provision. 3. Tongguan Copper Foil is a controlled subsidiary of the company, and the company holds 72.38% of its equity. Its financial data are fully consolidated into the company's consolidated financial statements. From an accounting perspective, fluctuations in the secondary market share price of a controlled subsidiary represent changes in market valuation only. In cases where equity is not disposed of, or is partially disposed of without losing control, it will not affect the net profit in the company's consolidated statements for the current period. As of now, the company has no plan to sell Tongguan Copper Foil shares opportunistically. If equity disposal is involved in the future, the company will strictly comply with state-owned asset supervision and securities regulatory requirements, fulfilling review procedures and information disclosure obligations. An investor asked on the investor interaction platform: Dear Board Secretary, regarding the Mirador Phase II (Mirador) Mining Contract Amendment (Adenda), its status was updated from "awaiting signature" to "signed/notification process" when a shareholder inquired on April 21, 2026. May I ask whether ECSA, controlled by the company, has now received formal notification of the signing of the mining contract for the Mirador Phase II copper mine project? Tongling Nonferrous Metals stated on the investor interaction platform on May 21 that as of now, China Railway Construction Tongguan Investment Co., Ltd. (of which ECSA is the main operating entity for the Mirador copper mine) has not yet received formal notification of the signing of the mining contract for the Mirador Phase II copper mine project. Please refer to the company's announcements on the statutory information disclosure platform for updates. Tongling Nonferrous Metals released its Q1 report showing: The company achieved operating revenue of 64.67 billion yuan in Q1 2026, up 83.61% YoY; net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was 1.338 billion yuan, up 19.12% YoY; and net cash flow from operating activities was 6.632 billion yuan, up 473.09% YoY. Tongling Nonferrous Metals announced in its Q1 report matters concerning project delays at a controlled subsidiary: In recent years, Ecuador's political situation has been volatile with frequent personnel changes, and leadership changes at the competent ministry have led to personnel changes at the working level, greatly affecting policy continuity and administrative efficiency, thereby impacting the progress of signing the Mining Contract for the Mirador Phase II copper mine project. Since 2025, the company and ECSA have strengthened engagement with the relevant authorities of Ecuador's new government through multiple channels and at various levels. The latest round of preliminary negotiations for the Mining Contract for the Mirador Phase II copper mine project has been completed and submitted to the competent ministry for review. Given the significant differences in investment and operating environments between Ecuador and China, the volatile political situation, and the lack of stability in the legal environment, the specific timing for signing the Mining Contract for the Mirador Phase II project is still uncertain. As a result of the aforementioned factors, the formal commissioning of the Mirador Phase II project, once completed, can only commence after its Mining Contract is signed. For details, please refer to the company's Announcement on Subsidiary Project Delay disclosed on cninfo.com.cn on January 5, 2026. Tongling Nonferrous Metals disclosed in its 2025 annual report: In 2025, the company achieved total operating revenue of 172.825 billion yuan, up 18.68% YoY; net profit attributable to the parent company was 2.415 billion yuan, down 14.02% YoY. Tongling Nonferrous Metals announced: In 2025, the company overcame unfavourable factors such as tight copper concentrate supply and low TCs, and carried out in-depth activities to increase production and efficiency, and reduce costs and tap potential. In 2025, the company produced 197,700 mt of copper in self-produced copper concentrates, 1.9548 million mt of copper cathode, 400,700 mt of semi-finished copper products, 6.2185 million mt of sulphuric acid, 20.51 mt of gold, 579.55 mt of silver, 376,200 mt of iron ore concentrates, and 382,100 mt of sulphur concentrates, successfully achieving the annual production tasks. Regarding its main business activities, Tongling Nonferrous Metals stated in its 2025 annual report: The company is a large-scale integrated copper producer covering copper mining and beneficiation, smelting, processing, and trading, with main products including copper cathode, sulphuric acid, gold, silver, copper foil, and copper plate/sheet and strip. The company has deep technical accumulation, a leading industry position, and significant competitive advantages in copper mining and beneficiation, copper smelting, and copper foil processing. The 2026 operating plan disclosed by Tongling Nonferrous Metals in its 2025 annual report shows: 1. Core operating indicators In 2026, the company will strive to achieve various core product production targets, specifically: 227,600 mt of copper in self-produced copper concentrates, 2.108 million mt of copper cathode, 455,000 mt of semi-finished copper products, 22,000 kg of gold, 650 mt of silver, 7.07 million mt of sulphuric acid, 344,000 mt of iron ore concentrates (60%), and 308,000 mt of sulphur concentrates (35%), anchoring production and operational objectives with quantified indicators. A research report from Guosen Securities published on April 22 indicated that the company's copper smelting segment's profitability is industry-leading. In 2025, Jinlong Copper achieved a net profit of 800 million yuan; if simply converted by capacity, Jinguan Copper Branch's net profit was approximately 1.22 billion yuan. Excluding the newly commissioned Jinxin Branch, the three existing smelters had a combined annual net profit of 2.64 billion yuan. The decent profit of copper smelters including the company in 2025 can be attributed to factors such as raw material inventory cycles, high sulphuric acid prices, high copper smelting recovery rates, and high prices for by-product gold and silver. Compared with several other large copper smelters, whose main smelters had net profit margins mostly around 0.5%, Tongling Nonferrous Metals' main smelters all had net profit margins around 2%, significantly above the industry average. Mirador Phase II may come online in August. The company expects to produce 228,000 mt of copper concentrates in 2026. Based on past trends, domestic copper ore production is 50,000 mt per year, and Mirador Phase I production is 130,000 mt per year, so Mirador Phase II is scheduled to produce 50,000 mt in 2026, implying production start-up around August 2026. In 2025, China Railway Construction Tongguan Investment achieved a net profit of 1.93 billion yuan, and the Mirador project company reached a net profit of 3.79 billion yuan, demonstrating strong profitability. Mirador Phase II mining and beneficiation costs are only about 70% of Phase I. If Phase I costs are 28,000 yuan/mt, a rough calculation puts Phase II costs at 19,600 yuan/mt. If by-product gold and silver partially offset copper costs, Mirador Phase II costs could be negative. Risk warnings: risk of wild swings in copper prices, risk of copper concentrate TC declines.

South Korea's NEV market is recovering from the slump at year-end 2025, but the current rebound is still dominated by HEVs, rather than being driven solely by BEVs. Although BEV share has rebounded, the sustainability of the recovery remains to be confirmed. For South Korean battery enterprises, it has become difficult to gauge demand recovery simply by relying on domestic EV sales and export data. In contrast, driven by South Korea’s policy demand and utility-scale energy storage projects in North America, ESS is becoming a clearer growth channel.

SMM, June 30 – On June 15, 2026, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) website, the NDRC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the National Energy Administration, and other departments jointly issued the Notice on Launching a Three-Year Campaign for Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction Upgrades in Key Industries . The notice's requirements for the electrolytic aluminum industry include: promoting large-scale reduction cells of 500 kA and above, and accelerating the upgrade of prebaked anode cells below 300 kA. SMM has compiled publicly available market information. Excluding idled capacity, as of June 2026, cells of 300 kA and below accounted for 16% of total domestic capacity, of which approximately 1.75 million tonnes of capacity already have publicly announced replacement or upgrade projects. It should be noted that the Notice on Launching a Three-Year Campaign for Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction Upgrades in Key Industries does not yet mandate compulsory phase-out provisions regarding cell amperage requirements. Domestic electrolytic aluminum production is therefore not expected to be materially affected in the near term. Meanwhile, capacity replacement and upgrade projects across the domestic industry are progressing steadily, with replacement projects surfacing frequently. As of June 30, 2026, a total of 13 electrolytic aluminum capacity replacement projects had been publicly announced, of which 8 are upgrade and retrofitting projects. As of June 2026, capacity equipped with 500 kA and above cells accounted for 12.9% of the total, a share expected to rise further going forward. Of the 13 publicly announced projects, 11 plan to build 500 kA or 600 kA cells, representing 93.1% of total proposed capacity under replacement projects. SMM Commentary: Electrolytic aluminum output is unlikely to see significant near-term disruption. However, as replacement and upgrade efforts continue, power consumption per tonne of domestic electrolytic aluminum production is expected to decline further, helping the industry meet its energy conservation and carbon reduction targets.

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