Chinese copper imports in May surge 21% month-on-month, says customs data

SHANGHAI (Scrap Monster) : The latest statistics released by the Chinese General Administration of Customs suggests that the copper imports by the country surged significantly during the month of May.

The total unwrought copper and copper products imported by China during May totaled 358,672 metric tons. The imports have surged higher by 21% when compared to the imports by the country during the previous month. However, upon comparison with the imports during same month a year ago, the May 2013 copper imports have declined by 14.5%.

The customs data also shows that the country imported a total of 360,000 metric tons of waste copper during May this year. The total imports of waste copper have gone up by 5.9% month-on-month.

During the period of five months from January to May this year, the cumulative total imports of unwrought copper and copper products amounted to 1.62 million metric tons. The cumulative imports have shown a dip of 25% in comparison with the imports recorded during the same five-month period in 2012.

From January to May this year, the country imported 1.73 million metric tons of waste copper. The cumulative imports of waste copper are down by 6.9% in comparison with the imports during same period the previous year.