Shares of major miners also fell in London trading, with BHP down 2.4%, Rio Tinto down 3.6%, Glencore -2.44%, and Antofagasta -1.25%.

The decision by Ningxia and its timing is evidence that coal will still play a major role in China’s energy mix for the foreseeable future.

Overall, the picture that emerges from the commodity import data is that China is at best ticking along.

AVZ said the second offtake agreement with the Chinese lithium products maker was for the supply of up to 180,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate per year from it's Manono Lithium and Tin project.

China's copper imports rose 4.7% for the first two months of 2021 over last year.

China’s climate policy is poised to do what years of international pressure couldn’t -- halt the growth of the world’s biggest aluminum industry.

The country plans to reduce carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 18% through 2025.

The move will give Ganfeng, one of the world's top producers of lithium chemicals used in EV batteries, its first salt lake asset in China.