In the first 11 months of last year, the country's iron ore imports dipped 2.1 percent year-on-year to around 1.02 billion metric tons, he said.

As China's leading energy base, Shanxi Province is key to the country's energy supply and electricity transmission.

The 2303 ferrosilicon contract price on ZCE closed at 8492 yuan per ton on January 12.

Payment clearing and reconciliation services company BankservAfrica's Economic Transactions Index (BETI) for December 2022 improved despite the ongoing, dismal economic context, rising to 132.1 following six consecutive months of declines in the index.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) reports that the national metallic mining production in November 2022 had an increase in copper, zinc, iron and tin, compared to the similar month of 2021.

With an investment of US$32mn, Chilean iron ore miner Minera del Pacífico (CMP) looks to continue operating in the Pleito district until 2029, which the CAP group firm holds in northern Atacama region.

The daily Argus ICX 62pc iron ore index was at $117.35/dry metric tonne on 3 January, down by 2.2pc from a year earlier.

US steelmaker Nucor has kept its plate pricing flat, a month after it dropped prices by triple digits.