Aluminium’s fortunes tied to Yunnan weather forecast

Dominant position: Employees at an aluminium factory in China. The country holds the key to future production patterns. — AFP

GLOBAL primary aluminium production grew by 2% year-on-year to 16.9 million tonnes in the first three months of 2023, according to the latest monthly assessment from the International Alum-inium Institute (IAI). The headline growth figure flatters to deceive.

Production outside of China is flat-lining, with restarts and curtailments largely cancelling each other out.