World aluminium output rose by 2.5% to a record 65.3 million tonnes last year, with producers lifting run-rates as the aluminium price rebounded from its March lows. The COVID-19 recovery has been led by China, where booming demand has seen the world’s largest producer turn net importer of primary metal this year. China’s giant aluminium smelting sector responded to soaring local prices with a 1.8-million tonne lift in annualised production over the second half of 2020. November saw annualised run-rates exceed 39.0 million tonnes for the first time ever, according to the International Aluminium Institute. This supply ... (full story)