In Q1 2025, Guinea exported 48.6 million tonnes of bauxite, which rose 5.4 per cent Q-o-Q to 51.2 million tonnes in the second half of 2025.
China's leading state-owned aluminium producer, CHALCO, exported approximately 8.9 million tonnes of bauxite from Guinea in the first half of 2025. Complementing this, CDM-CHINE, a joint venture between a Chinese firm and the Guinean government, shipped around 4.1 million tonnes and SPIC contributed 1.8 million tonnes.
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Port diversification also supported export growth, with nine active facilities handling exports.Dapilon/Katougouma led 30 per cent of the shipments, followed by Kokaya at 25 per cent, helping to reduce the pressure at the traditional Kamsar hub.
China, the largest importer of bauxite from Guinea, sourced 79.67 million tonnes from Guinea, up by 41.7 per cent Y-o-Y, accounting for 80 per cent of Guinea’s total bauxite exports and 77.05 per cent of China’s total imports, which stood at 103.4 million tonnes, showed SMM based on the data revealed by the National Bureau of Statistics. China’s cumulative bauxite imports saw a year-on-year surge of 34 per cent.
China’s bauxite imports from its two other major sources like Australia and Turkey stood at 16.47 million tonnes and 2.08 million tonnes, respectively, accounting for 15.93 per cent and 2.02 per cent of the total imports. Imports from Australia grew by 7.1 per cent Y-o-Y.
The increase in China’s cumulative bauxite imports was primarily driven by the increased demand for primary aluminium production, which, according to IAI, stood at 22 million tonnes in H1 2025, up by 3 per cent from 21.3 million tonnes a year ago.
