China will expand its import duty exemptions on more recycled copper and aluminium feedstocks in 2025, while rolling over its export and import duties on many base metals, minor metals, ferro-alloys and rare earths next year.

The government has expanded the products included in the HS code 74040000 to "recycled copper and alloy feedstock" for 2025 from "recycled brass copper feedstock and recycled copper feedstock" in 2024. The import duty for this HS code is zero for 2025 and 2024.

The products in the HS code 76020000 have also been expanded to "recycled aluminium and alloy feedstock" for 2025 from "recycled cast aluminum alloy feedstock" in 2024. The import duty for this HS code is zero for 2025 and 2024.

The changes are designed to boost green and low-carbon development of these industries, the country's ministry of commerce said. The changes come after the Chinese government's announcement to ease its secondary copper and aluminium import restrictions in mid-November. The country's copper scrap imports rose by 14pc in January-November from a year earlier, customs data show.

China will maintain its export duties on a number of ferro-alloys next year, including a 40pc duty on ferro-chrome, 20pc on ferro-manganese and 25pc on silico-manganese and ferro-silicon. This is in line with the country's targets to control development of energy- and pollution-intensive products.

China will roll over the 30pc export duty on lead and zinc concentrates and tantalum, niobium and vanadium concentrates, as well as a 20pc duty on tin, tungsten and antimony concentrates, in 2025. But the country rarely exports these concentrates given its limited domestic resources.

China will keep its 5pc export duty on antimony metal in 2025, along with a 5-15pc duty on zinc metal, 15pc duty on aluminium alloy and scrap, 15pc duty on nickel metal and 5-15pc duty on nickel alloy, and 5-15pc duty on some copper metal, alloy, scrap and fabricated products. Beijing introduced a more rigorous export licensing scheme on antimony earlier this year.

China will maintain a 1pc import duty on some minor metals including antimony, germanium, indium, bismuth and lithium metal, as well as a few ferro-alloys such as ferro-molybdenum and ferro-tungsten in 2025. Beijing will continue to exempt import duties on rare earth metals, oxides and compounds, along with some battery feedstock metals and materials such as cobalt metal, hydroxide, matte and other intermediates, as well as nickel matte, mixed hydroxide precipitate and lithium carbonates. The import duty for cobalt sulphate, oxide and trioxide will remain at 2pc.

China has also added spodumene to its duty lists, with a zero import duty in 2025.