It is often easy to forget that China is not only the largest single consumer of metals but, in many cases, also the dominant producer. Of course, in recent years, strong growth in demand meant that China still needed to import ores and metals. However, the ongoing slowdown in China’s economy and the desire to move away from investment-led growth has raised the question of whether China could become a major supplier of metals to the rest of the world. In this Metals & Mining Watch, we argue that in principle there is nothing to stop China from becoming a major exporter. But we also think there are a few reasons why it may not happen soon.
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