China

The joint statement from China and the USA regarding the cutting of reciprocal tariffs for 90 days has brought trade between these two huge economies back to life, at least for the time being. The announcement has positively impacted many industries, including the non-ferrous metals sector.

On the announcement of a national standard for black mass imports effective from July 1, the scrap lithium-ion battery market is expected to undergo major change as China is the largest black mass consumer.
China’s new energy vehicle sales surged 44% to 5.61 million units during the first five months of 2025, thus boosting EV battery production.

Over 600 participants from 26 countries attended the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association Recycling Metal Branch (CMRA) conference held in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 18-20. The forum addressed green metals and featured a China-Thailand Renewable Metal Industry Docking Conference, among other events.