In January – July, China tripled its nickel imports from Russia to 49,130 tons, which is more than the total shipments in the first seven months of last year (16.23 thousand tons)

Attractive prices and an increase in the production of stainless steel contribute to the growth of supplies. In January – June 2025, the production of stainless steel in China increased by 5% to 20.2 million tons. A curious fact: in the Russian stainless steel market, even with the greatest stretch, the share of relatively domestic products does not exceed 25%. And even the ones that are available, as a rule, are much lower in quality compared to imports. 75% is traditionally imported, of which 77% is from China. As a result, we already have a classic scheme for us: we give them raw materials - nickel, they give us finished products made from our raw materials - stainless steel.