Highlights

• In 2025, China's nonferrous metals sector achieved record performance with production exceeding 80 million metric tons for the first time (81.75M tons, up 3.9%).
• Total trade value reached $412.24 billion, marking an increase of 12.4%.
• Mining and ore-dressing investment surged 41% year-over-year, outpacing overall industrial investment growth significantly.
• This growth signals Beijing's strategic push to secure upstream raw material supply and enhance pricing leverage.
• The coordinated expansion across the full value chain—from extraction to processing to exports—raises Western concerns about supply concentration and strategic dependence in critical sectors such as EVs, aerospace, and defense manufacturing.

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China’s nonferrous metals sector—spanning copper, aluminum, nickel, zinc, lead, tin, and related industrial metals—posted a strong performance in 2025, driven by higher production, a sharp rise in mining investment, and record trade value.

An official dispatch dated February 5 and carried on February 9 by the China Rare Earth Industry Association, citing content distributed via the state-run Study Xi, Strong Nation platform, references data from the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association. According to the association, industrial value-added across China’s nonferrous metals enterprises increased 6.9% in 2025.

Production also reached a milestone. Output of China’s “ten major nonferrous metals”—a standard statistical grouping used by Chinese industry bodies—exceeded 80 million metric tons for the first time, totaling 81.75 million tons, a 3.9% year-over-year increase. While China already dominates global output in several of these metals, crossing this threshold underscores the continued scale-up of capacity despite weaker growth in some global end markets.

Increase in Capital Spending

The most consequential signal for international competitors, however, is capital spending. The report states that fixed-asset investment in China’s nonferrous metals industry rose 4.9% in 2025, outpacing the nationwide industrial investment growth rate by 2.3 percentage points.

Within that, mining and ore-dressing investment—covering extraction and beneficiation—surged 41.0% year over year. For U.S. and allied policymakers, this suggests that Beijing is not only reinforcing its dominance in downstream processing but also accelerating upstream investment to secure raw material supply and strengthen long-term pricing leverage.

Trade Transactions on Rise

Foreign trade reached a new high as well. Total import–export trade in nonferrous metals climbed to $412.24 billion in 2025, up 12.4% from the prior year, reflecting resilient export momentum despite ongoing trade frictions and global industrial uncertainty.

Relevance for the Western World

Why this matters: The combination of rising output, aggressive mining investment, and expanding trade points to a coordinated push to consolidate China’s position across the full nonferrous metals value chain. For Western industries dependent on these materials—energy infrastructure, electric vehicles, aerospace, and defense-linked manufacturing—the data reinforce concerns about supply concentration and strategic dependence.

Disclaimer: This item is based on reporting distributed through Chinese state-linked media platforms and industry associations. All figures and claims should be independently verified using third-party data, audited disclosures, customs statistics, and international commodity reports before being relied upon for investment, procurement, or policy decisions.