China's lithium carbonate imports stood at 21,200 tonnes in April, up 11.3% month on month (MoM) and 87.4% year on year (YoY), per data from the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC).
The imports from Chile and Argentina were 17,100 tonnes and 3,406 tonnes respectively, rising 5.2% and 36.6% MoM.
From the perspective of the country of origin, Chile exported a total of 27,100 tonnes lithium carbonate in April, and 22,899 tonnes were shipped to China, a new high since last May 2022 when the exports to China were 21,132 tonnes.
Considering the shipping time of around 30-40 days from Chile to China, China's May lithium carbonate imports are projected to reach 24,000 tonnes.
Written by Aggie Hu, huchenying@mysteel.com