
BEIJING, Apr 18 (Reuters) - China's aluminum imports fell 4.6 percent in March from the same month a year earlier, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Monday, falling below 200,000 tonnes amid a rapid rise in overseas prices.
The country brought in 197,134 tons of unwrought aluminum and products, including primary metal and unwrought alloyed aluminum, last month, up from 206,556 tons in March 2021, according to the customs agency.
In the first quarter of the year, China imported 533,136 tons of the metal, falling 19% year-on-year, customs data showed. But the value of aluminum imports in March and January-March rose 16% and 2.4% respectively despite a drop in shipments by volume, official data showed.
"Aluminum prices in the overseas market are higher than China's now, as some foreign producers had been cutting production since late 2021 amid higher energy prices," said Shen Lingyan, an analyst at consultancy Antaike, speaking before the data was released.
In comparison, China's exports of aluminum and unwrought aluminum products rose 34% in March from the same month a year earlier to 594,361 tons, customs data showed.
Its imports of bauxite, the main source of aluminum ore, amounted to 11.7 million tons last month, a year-on-year increase of 16%.
Bauxite imports from January to March were up 20% over the same period in 2021 to 32.67 million tons, customs said.