en.Wedoany.com Reported - According to data released by the General Administration of Customs of China on July 20, 2026, China's imports of copper ore and copper concentrate from Russia surged significantly year-on-year in the first half of 2026 (January to June), with an increase of 100% (i.e., doubling). In the first quarter alone, Russia's exports of copper concentrate to China doubled year-on-year, reaching 288,400 tons. Meanwhile, from January to April 2026, China's total imports of copper and copper concentrate from Russia reached 529,800 tons, up 50% year-on-year.

China is the world's largest consumer and importer of copper. Russia is a major global producer of copper resources, with its copper ore reserves and output consistently ranking among the world's top. In the first half of 2026, as China's manufacturing and infrastructure construction continued to advance, demand for copper resources remained robust.

Alongside the sharp increase in imports, price factors also warrant attention. In June 2026, the average price of China's imported Russian copper ore was $13,355 per ton, up approximately 39.6% from $9,565 per ton in June 2025. As a result, although the import volume of refined copper and copper alloys fell 24.6% year-on-year to 181,500 tons in the first half of 2026, the import value rose 3.3% year-on-year to $2.35 billion.

In terms of product mix, in addition to copper ore, China also significantly increased imports of industrial metals such as aluminum and nickel from Russia during the same period. Among them, imports of unwrought aluminum rose 24.1% to $3.76 billion, while imports of unwrought nickel increased 43% to $694 million. The total import value of these three metals reached $6.8 billion, up 17.5% year-on-year.

The notable growth in Russia's copper ore exports to China reflects both the resilience of China's manufacturing demand for upstream raw materials and the continued deepening of resource trade between the two countries. As China's industrial production progresses, imports of key raw materials such as copper ore are expected to remain active.