BEIJING — China's annual aluminum production fell for the first time in 10 years in 2019, official data showed on Friday, hit by softer demand amid the Sino-U.S. trade row and large-scale smelter outages. Aluminum output dropped to 35.04 million tonnes last year, down 0.9% from record levels a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported. China's full-year aluminum output last fell in 2009, according to annual data on the NBS website, although estimates from the International Aluminum Institute show production rising every year this century. The drop in annual output came as major smelters suffered unplanned outages from August. Top producer China Hongqiao Group closed some lines because of flooding in Shandong province and Xinfa Group had an explosion at a site in Xinjiang.

Source: International New York Times January 17, 2020 03:15 UTC