The recently issued "Work Plan for Stable Growth of the Nonferrous Metals Industry" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan") proposes that from 2023 to 2024, the main goals for the steady growth of the nonferrous metals industry are: the output of major products such as copper and aluminum maintains steady growth, and the output of ten nonferrous metals Metal output has grown at an average annual rate of about 5%. Positive progress has been made in the development of domestic resources such as copper and lithium. The supply quality of non-ferrous metal deep-processing products has been further improved, and supply and demand have basically achieved a dynamic balance. Operating income has maintained growth, fixed asset investment has continued to grow, trade structure has continued to be optimized, green and intelligent transformation and upgrading have accelerated, and unit energy consumption of copper, lead and other smelting products has dropped by more than 2% annually on average.

In recent years, the nonferrous metals industry has shown a continuous trend of good development. However, in the development process, there are still problems such as insufficient growth momentum in traditional consumption areas, reduced exports, and high dependence on foreign countries for some strategic minerals and high-end materials. The nonferrous metals industry will place a more prominent position on stabilizing growth and "shoot with three arrows" in terms of improving supply capacity, strengthening technological transformation, and improving the level of openness.

Accelerate the development and utilization of strategic resources

"Accelerating the development and utilization of strategic resources, strengthening the supply and price stability of key products, supporting the research and development and application of key materials, and cultivating high-quality backbone enterprises are inevitable choices for the nonferrous metals industry to comprehensively deepen the supply-side structural reform and consolidate the foundation for stable development." China Nonferrous Metals Ge Honglin, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the Industrial Association, pointed out that improving the supply capacity of non-ferrous metals is the first work measure of the "Plan", and accelerating the development and utilization of strategic resources is an important part of improving supply capacity. It is necessary to increase domestic exploration and development efforts and formulate an overall plan for industrial development; encourage key areas to formulate resource industry plans and development project lists, and strengthen policy support and element guarantees.

Mo Xinda, deputy director of the Light Metal Department of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, said that aluminum metal has a wide range of uses. In order to ensure the security of the aluminum industry chain and supply chain, Chinese-funded enterprises have invested a certain amount of bauxite resources overseas. However, the sources are concentrated and there are certain problems. Concerns about stable supply. To this end, while improving the diversification of import sources, our country should also increase the exploration of bauxite resources, promote technological research and industrial application of alternative resources such as high-aluminum fly ash, and strengthen feasibility research on the development of aluminum resources under coal. Make strategic reserves to ensure future resource supply.

Facing new market demands and strategic needs, the nonferrous metal industry must increase its research and development efforts on key materials and strive to develop from traditional structural materials to high comprehensive performance. Focusing on the fields of new energy vehicles, new generation information technology, aerospace, energy conservation and carbon reduction, we will support the research and development and industrialization of high-end materials such as high-specific energy cathode materials, ultra-high purity metals, and high-quality semiconductor materials.

Cultivating high-quality backbone enterprises is one of the necessary means for the nonferrous metals industry to promote high-quality development. "Chain master" enterprises in important nonferrous metal industry chains such as copper, lithium, nickel, tungsten, and antimony should be cultivated to benchmark world-class enterprises in terms of resource allocation, brand value, innovation capabilities, and internationalization. Focusing on strategic directions such as energy transition metals, lightweight materials, and integrated circuit materials, we will cultivate a group of specialized, new “little giant” companies and individual champion companies.

"The above measures will help comprehensively enhance the international competitiveness of the non-ferrous metal industry." Ge Honglin said that in recent years, the overall strength of my country's leading enterprises in the non-ferrous metal industry has been significantly improved. The conditions for further agglomeration of factor resources into advantageous enterprises are already in place, which will further enhance the intensification of the development and smelting of nonferrous metal resources in my country and achieve high-quality development of the industry.

Guo Chaohui, chief commodity analyst of the Research Department of CICC, believes that measures such as cultivating specialized, new "little giant" enterprises and individual champion enterprises have put forward new requirements for the development of the nonferrous metals industry and will help promote my country's nonferrous metals and midstream and downstream industries. Industry structure optimization and industrial upgrading.

Promote green and low-carbon mature technologies

"Maintaining an appropriate scale of fixed asset investment not only supports the development potential of the industry, but is also of great significance to optimizing the industrial structure." Ge Honglin said that supporting the construction of major projects and promoting the high-end, intelligent, and green development of the industry will help nonferrous metals The industry enhances its development vitality.

The electrolytic aluminum production link is the "narrow tip" for aluminum metal to achieve the "double carbon" goal. Mohinda said that a series of fruitful work has been carried out in this industry. Including continuing to carry out technical research on reducing power consumption, the current average comprehensive AC power consumption per ton of aluminum in the industry has reached below 13,500 kilowatt hours, which is at the best level in the world; electrolytic aluminum companies have adopted methods such as off-site replacement of production capacity, distributed new energy consumption, and power trading. , has increased the proportion of clean energy consumption to 25%; aluminum processing enterprises have increased the proportion of recycled materials, increased substitution of electrolytic aluminum, and achieved significant carbon reduction effects.

It is understood that in the next step, the non-ferrous metal industry will organize and implement the industry carbon peak implementation plan, focus on the low-carbon technology development roadmap, accelerate the promotion of green and low-carbon mature technologies, develop key common technologies and disruptive technologies, and improve the level of green development throughout the process .

Ge Honglin said that the Nonferrous Metals Industry Association will speed up the optimization and upgrading of nonferrous metals standards, implement the "Guidelines for the Construction of Intelligent Manufacturing Standard Systems in the Nonferrous Metals Industry (2023 Edition)", and accelerate the development of standards such as information identification, intelligent production of key varieties, and smart factory evaluation. At the same time, diagnostic consultation and intelligent experience cloud sharing will be carried out to accelerate the development of intelligent solutions that are economical, quick-effective, and widely applicable, and promote manufacturing technology breakthroughs and process innovation.

Duan Xiangdong, Party Secretary and Chairman of China Aluminum Corporation, said that the research and development and use of high-end non-ferrous metal products will promote the continued and stable growth of the non-ferrous metal industry. The group will establish a joint laboratory with downstream customers to establish a cooperation model of early access to research and development and subsequent continuous improvement. It will accelerate the development of high-end products of non-ferrous metal materials in aerospace, electronic information, new energy vehicles, etc., and drive greater development range of industrial innovation and upgrading.

A two-pronged approach to promote open cooperation

In the past ten years, my country's nonferrous metal import and export scale has increased from US$132.3 billion in 2013 to US$329.9 billion in 2022, with an average annual growth rate of approximately 10.7%, and its proportion of foreign trade has increased from 3.2% to 5.2%.

Experts believe that a two-pronged approach is required to improve the level of openness and cooperation in the nonferrous metals industry.

On the one hand, we must expand the international market. Support enterprises to participate in overseas exhibitions to expand orders; encourage the export of deep-processed products such as aluminum materials and products, copper materials and products, magnesium products, etc., to increase the added value of non-ferrous metal product exports; support enterprises to expand peripheral markets such as Southeast Asia; give full play to the non-ferrous metal industry equipment, materials, Strengthen industrial cooperation with countries and regions along the “Belt and Road” by leveraging advantages in technology, standards, and services.

On the other hand, we should encourage the import of primary products. Support smelting companies to sign long-term purchase agreements with foreign mining companies and increase the import of raw materials such as copper concentrate, bauxite, and nickel concentrate. Improve the standard system for recycled raw materials and expand the scope and scale of imports of high-quality recycled raw materials. Improve the import inspection standards for mineral products and renewable resource products, support the construction of rapid inspection capabilities, and improve the efficiency of product import customs clearance.

Xiao Lu, deputy director of the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce, said that the Ministry of Commerce, together with various localities and departments, has taken multiple measures to promote the stabilization and quality improvement of foreign trade in nonferrous metals and other industries. On the one hand, it provides service guarantee. The Ministry of Commerce will regularly publish "Foreign Trade Promotion Information" and "Country Trade Guidelines" to collect overseas market supply and demand information and publish them regularly on the Ministry of Commerce website. On the other hand, it promotes supply and procurement docking. We will organize a number of important exhibitions and support foreign trade companies to participate in overseas exhibitions.

(Excerpted from Economic Daily)