China’s decision to grant additional licenses for tax-free copper exports is set to shake up the global copper market, particularly as trade tensions intensify. The approvals, which include China Copper Southeast Copper Co. and Guangxi Nanguo Copper Co., allow these companies to conduct tolling trade—exporting refined copper made from imported ore without paying taxes. This move is expected to boost overseas sales at a time when China’s smelters are struggling with raw material shortages and record-low processing fees.

The timing is significant, as global copper markets face growing uncertainty. Copper prices hit a four-month high in London this week, driven by supply concerns and shifting trade flows. In China, the world’s largest supplier of refined copper, smelters are grappling with a scarcity of ore, leading to reduced profitability and diminished output.

Lithium Americas has solidified a significant partnership with General Motors (GM), announcing a $625 million investment from the automaker to further develop the Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada. As part of this agreement, GM will acquire a 38% stake in the project, which is crucial for securing lithium, a key…

Guangdong, China’s most commercially important manufacturing province, is being hit by a sharp rise in electricity prices as disruptions in Middle Eastern gas supply ripple into its power system. The province, whose economy is roughly comparable in scale to South Korea’s, relies more heavily than any other part of China on gas-fired generation.

That dependence has become a liability at a moment when conflict around the Persian Gulf has curtailed fuel shipments and driven up the cost of imported liquefied natural gas. In mid-April, spot electricity prices in Guangdong surged to their highest level in three years, briefly reaching almost 680 yuan per megawatt-hour, far above the roughly 350 yuan average seen the previous month.