(March 17): Chinese aluminium producers are set to benefit from a rerouting of raw materials away from the Middle East. The US-Israeli war with Iran is driving more alumina — the precursor refined from bauxite — to China, swelling the country’s surplus and potentially boosting profits at the smelters that turn the material into aluminium. The near-total halt to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has choked off supplies to the Middle Eastern producers that account for 9% of the world’s aluminium. China, home to the world’s biggest aluminium industry, is an obvious destination for marooned cargoes. The war has propelled prices of the lightweight metal to near four-year highs and lifted Chinese margins to record levels.

Source: The Edge Markets March 17, 2026 08:11 UTC