Aluminum, copper and nickel shipments have surged this year, according to trade data
Beijing has increased purchases of Russian metals as Moscow pivots toward Asia amid Western sanctions, Bloomberg has reported, citing customs data.
The US and its allies have been targeting Russian base metals in an effort to cut the country’s revenues amid the Ukraine conflict. China has become a key buyer of Russian commodities, with overall trade between the two countries hitting historic highs last year, exceeding $240 billion.
Imports of Russian aluminum jumped nearly 56% year-on-year to almost one million tons between January and May, while copper purchases surged 66% and nickel imports more than doubled, according to Trade Data Monitor, cited by the outlet on Monday.
The report noted that while Russian producers Rusal and Norilsk Nickel are not under Western sanctions, their access to global trading platforms has been restricted.
In April 2024, the US and UK barred the London Metal Exchange (LME) and Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) from accepting new Russian-origin aluminum, copper, and nickel and barred imports of the metals. Washington had earlier imposed 200% duties on Russian-made aluminum products, while Canada enacted a full ban on imports of Russian aluminum and steel.
Earlier this year, the EU introduced a phased ban on Russian aluminum, setting a 275,000-ton quota that runs through February 2026.
The Kremlin has condemned the sanctions as “illegal,” warning they will backfire on those imposing them. The measures triggered spikes in global metal prices, with aluminum seeing its biggest surge on the LME in decades. Moscow has redirected exports to Asia and the Middle East amid the shift away from Western markets.
People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Norilsk Nickel began boosting sales to China in the second half of 2024. The company is also reportedly working with a unit of Chinese gold giant Shandong Gold to expand copper cathode shipments to the country.
Sanctioned producers such as Russian Copper and UMCC may also be shipping metal to China, the sources said.
Norilsk Nickel’s chief executive, Vladimir Potanin, has said the company plans to relocate some copper smelting operations to China to safeguard exports from sanctions pressure on financial transactions.
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