Mineral statistics in BGS - the example of China Teresa Brown 14 October 2008 Kingsley Dunham Centre Keyworth Nottingham NG12 5GG Tel 0115 936 3100 © NERC All rights reserved A few facts about China Fourth largest land area in the world Population > 1.3 billion 94% live in eastern third GDP has grown tenfold in the last 30 years © NERC All rights reserved A world leader in mineral production Alumina Aluminium Antimony Arsenic Asbestos Barytes Bauxite Bentonite Beryl Bismuth Borates Bromine Cadmium Chromium (ore) Coal Cobalt (ore) Cobalt (metal) Copper (ore) CopperCopper (smelter) Copper (refined) Diamond Diatomite Feldspar FerroF erro alloys Fluorspar Fuller’s earth Germanium Gold Graphite Gypsum Iodine Iron ore Pig iron Crude steel Kaolin Lead (ore) Lead (refined) Lithium Magnesite Magnesium Manganese (ore) Mercury Mica Molybdenum Natural gas Sodium carbonate Nepheline syenite Nickel (ore) Nickel (smelter) Perlite Petroleum Phosphates Platinum group Potash Rare earths Salt Selenium Sillimanite Silver Strontium Sulphur & Pyrites Talc Tantalum/Niobium Tellurium Tin (ore) Tin (smelter) Titanium Tungsten (ore) Uranium Vanadium Vermiculite Wollastonite Zinc (ore) Zinc (sla(slab)b) Zirconium minerals © NERC All rights reserved The scale of production • More than 80% of the world’s production of antimony, graphite, rare earths and tungsten • More than 50% of the world’s production of magnesite, mercury, fluorspar and barytes • More than 30% of the world’s production of coal, bismuth, iron & steel, lead, mica, talc and tin © NERC All rights reserved Trends in production data 1998-2007 25 800 Bauxite 238% 700 Iron ore 186% 20 Alumina 482% 600 Pig iron 296% s s 500 15 Aluminium 416% 400 Crude steel 327% 10 Million Tonne Million Tonne 300 200 5 100 0 0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Bauxite Alumina Primary Aluminium Iron Ore Pig Iron Steel Ingots and Castings 70 3 000 60 Phosphate rock 62% 2 500 Coal 106% 50 2 000 Salt 134% s 40 1 500 30 Million tonne million tonnes 1 000 20 500 10 0 0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Phosphate Rock Salt Coal (All forms) © NERC All rights reserved BGS has data back to early 20 3000 2500 Coal production Historical trends 2000 1500 Million tonnes 1000 th century 500 0 1913 1916 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1940 1943 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 © NERC All rights1994 reserved 1997 2000 2003 2006 Trends in trade statistics 2007 2006 Bauxite 2005 2004 Imports have increased by 2003 Exports > 15,000% 2002 Imports 2001 Exports have reduced from 2000 approx 84,000 tpa to zero 1999 1998 -5 0 5 10 15 20 25 Million Tonnes 2007 2006 Exports 2005 Coal 2004 Imports have increased by 2003 2002 > 300% 2001 China is still a net exporter of 2000 Imports 1999 coal – but only just! 1998 -120 -100 -80 -60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 Million tonnes © NERC All rights reserved Trends in trade statistics 2007 2006 2005 Iron Ore 2004 Exports Imports have increased by 2003 2002 nearly 600% 2001 Imports 2000 1999 1998 -50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 Million Tonnes 2007 2006 2005 Exports Salt 2004 In 2004 China changed from 2003 2002 being a net exporter to a net 2001 Imports importer of salt 2000 1999 1998 -2-1012345 Million Tonnes © NERC All rights reserved BGS also has historical trade data – for example: coal 120 Historical trends in trade 100 80 60 Million tonnes 40 20 0 1913 1916 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1940 1943 1946 1949 1952 1955 Imports 1958 1961 1964 1967 Exports 1970 1973 1976 1979 1982 1985 1988 1991 1994 © NERC All rights reserved1997 2000 2003 2006 How reliable is the data? • Previously, Govt ministries controlled state-owned companies data reliable but confidential • Recently state controls have loosened, more private companies and industry associations are now involved: more data available but less reliable “… since China reform many government ministries and offices were cancelled. Now no government office controls the industrial minerals industry …” © NERC All rights reserved How reliable is the data? • Production statistics may be collected from large producers only • Small companies outside of controls • Metal statistics are more reliable than industrial minerals data “… major metal producers dominate production of metals in China and it is not very difficult for administrations or associations to collect data from them …” “… there are many small producers of industrial minerals in China, the association could not collect information from all producers …” © NERC All rights reserved How reliable is the data? • BGS receives industrial minerals data from a contact in China – but it is important to know who your friends are! “ … actually, there are three levels of cost available in China, the lowest one for a close friend, the normal one for Chinese and the much higher one for foreigner …” © NERC All rights reserved Conclusion • China’s growth in GDP has been around 10% per year for several years and this is reflected in their mineral production and trade • China is the world’s largest producer of approximately half the commodities we monitor • Data collection is difficult, but the BGS continues to make every effort to ensure our data is of the highest possible quality © NERC All rights reserved MineralsUK Centre for sustainable mineral development For further information on the work conducted by the BGS minerals team, or for free downloads, please visit our website: www.mineralsUK.com Thank you © NERC All rights reserved.