The domestic markets for indium, bismuth and germanium in China have been staging a recovery this year, delegates to this week's 2018 Chinese Minor Metals Forum in Kunming were told.
This recovery was supported by supply disruptions arising from environmental inspections of production units, producers' low profit margins and an uptick in demand, speakers said on Wednesday November 28.Indium supported by developing ITO industryChina's domestic indium market has benefited from the development of the downstream industry for indium tin oxide (ITO) in the country, according to Wang Qinhua, vice-chairman of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA).The development of high-quality ITO production technology this year has not only increased the industry's use of indium, but a rise in ITO consumption has given a further boost to indium demand, Wang added.Her observations were echoed by other speakers."ITO accounts for 84% of global indium consumption," Donna Veraha-Walsh of America Indium Corp said."The growth rate of ITO consumption is estimated at 5.5% per year [for the period] from 2016 to 2019," she added. "Global ITO consumption is expected to be 1,680 tonnes in...