By Tom Daly
By Tom Daly
BEIJING, Jan 17 (Reuters) – China’s annual aluminium manufacturing fell for the primary time in 10 years in 2019, official knowledge confirmed on Friday, hit by softer demand amid the Sino-U.S. commerce row and large-scale smelter outages.
Aluminium output dropped to 35.04 million tonnes final 12 months, down 0.9% from report ranges a 12 months earlier, the Nationwide Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported.
China’s full-year aluminium output final fell in 2009, in line with annual knowledge on the NBS web site, though estimates from the Worldwide Aluminium Institute present manufacturing rising yearly this century.
The drop in annual output got here as main smelters suffered unplanned outages from August. Prime producer China Hongqiao Group 1378.HK closed some traces due to flooding in Shandong province and Xinfa Group had an explosion at a website in Xinjiang.
However it additionally highlights the influence of China’s financial slowdown on the sector, ending a decade…