n° 170 – January 2021

Following on from November 1 2020 when the national standard on recycled brass, copper and cast aluminium alloy raw materials came into effect, a new standard on recycled iron and steel raw materials was announced on December 14 last year, with an effective date of January 1 2021. The customs commodity codes for these recycled iron and steel raw materials are 7204100010; 7204210010, 7204290010, 7204410010 and 7204490030.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, car production in 2020 totalled 25.23 million units for a decrease of 2% over the previous year. However, registrations for all motorized vehicles increased by 3.6% despite a 6% drop for cars; new energy vehicle sales climbed for the third year in a row.

Data at the end of 2020 indicated an increase in both secondary aluminium and copper tubing production, the result of steady demand from downstream industries and of a recovery from the pandemic during the first half of the year. A shortage of aluminium scrap has been balanced by ingot imports.

Cases are being reported of delays at China Customs during material inspections owing to new rules on sampling and defining the new specifications. This is still early days for the new recycled raw material classification system and many expect clearer inspection procedures to emerge in the coming days.