<article><p class="lead">The Chinese government today issued a new scrap metal import quota that approved just under 70,000t of copper, aluminium and ferrous scrap arrivals for the rest of this year.</p><p>The additional quotas — issued today by China Solid Waste and Chemicals Management, an agency of the environment ministry — are for a combined 66,368t of copper, aluminium and ferrous scrap for delivery to ports in south and southeast China.</p><p>The extra quota for copper scrap — under harmonised tariff code 7404000090 — is 31,658t. The quota for aluminium scrap — tariff code 7602000090 — is 32,940t, and the quota for ferrous scrap is 1,770t.</p><p>The copper scrap quota is for delivery to the ports of Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Nanhai, Nansha and Xinhui, while the aluminium scrap quota is for Ningbo, Nanhai and Nansha.</p><p>The total of all copper scrap import quotas approved to date is 484,217t, with aluminium at 405,416t and ferrous at 22,688t.</p><p>The import quota for copper scrap is below the volume imported in the third quarter of last year, whereas the aluminium scrap quota is above the third-quarter figure. China imported 624,276t of copper scrap and 349,510t of aluminium scrap in July-September 2018, customs data show.</p><p>Under the new policy, all scrap metal importers in China will need import licences issued under approved quarterly quotas from 1 July before they can receive any material.</p><p>The previous quotas were announced on <a href="https://metals.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/1925807">20 June</a>, <a href="https://metals.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/1937022">10 July</a> and <a href="https://metals.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/1958884">14 August</a>. </p><p>China imported 5.32mn t of scrap last year, of which copper accounted for 45pc, or 2.41mn t, aluminium 1.57mn t and ferrous 1.34mn t.</p></article>
