Beijing Starts Reining In Non-Ferrous Producers, Puts Quality First

Beijing launched a two-year plan to rein in non-ferrous metals: curb price wars, cap output, boost recycling, drive higher-value growth.
A worker in the production workshop of a new energy enterprise produces new energy vehicle power battery shell products in Ningde, China, on February 17, 2025. Ethiopia plans to process lithium locally and also build EVs locally. Photo / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP

China on Sunday announced a two-year plan to tighten control of its non-ferrous metals industry. The policy aims to curb cut-throat competition and shift growth toward higher-value, cleaner production.

The plan, issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, covers copper, aluminium, nickel, lithium, and cobalt. These metals are crucial for electric-vehicle batteries, solar panels, and other advanced manufacturing.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest news and analysis from Africa, Asia, and across the Global South.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China’s relations across the Global South.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Edwin Shri Bimo

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2
Uncertainty Roils Minerals Markets
3 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
4 From J-10C to Kaan? Indonesia’s Fighter Jet Deal With Turkey Shocks Chinese Military Fans
5
Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
6
Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths

You Might Like

Forget Cobalt, Lithium is the Key Strategic Resource

Tesla’s across-the-fleet price increase this month was due in part to supply constraints of key metals used to manufacture electric vehicle batteries, specifically lithium.   While the price of cobalt and nickel have steadily fallen ...

Can Zimbabwe Emulate Indonesia’s Tough Approach to Chinese Miners?

The Chinese mining company Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt is chafing under pressure from the Zimbabwean government to convert its lithium mining operation in the country into a plant producing battery-grade lithium within five years. The ...

China’s Copper Play in Africa: High Stakes, Riches, and Risks in Congo and Zambia

Editor’s Note: The following story is an AI-generated summary of a report by the China Nonferrous Metals Research Institute. The original story was published on the Institute’s WeChat page in Chinese. CGSP ...
Visual representation of an industrial nickel smelter facing operational challenges in Indonesia.

Indonesia’s Nickel Sector in Turmoil: Acquisition Proposal Amid Chinese Investor Bankruptcy Saga

Trouble seems to be brewing in Indonesia’s nickel sector.  One of the nation’s primary nickel smelters, PT Gunbuster Nickel Industry (GNI), is in an unprecedented crisis. Its troubles are deepened by its ties ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP