China's tin ore and concentrates imports fell 37.7% year on year to 295,421 tonnes in 2017, while its refined tin exports almost doubled to 2,175 tonnes compared with 2016, according to the latest Chinese customs data.
Chinese importers said there has been a significant decrease in tin concentrates shipments from Myanmar, where 90% of China's imported material originates, with some market participants stating that a prolonged declined could tighten supplies and push up smelting costs. "We need to wait and see if large domestic tin mines are able to ramp up their output to fill the supply gap," a Shanghai-based trader said. China's tin market is expected to move closer to the global tin market with the country's tin concentrate processing...