[lbo-talk] China to be World's Largest Aluminum Consumer by 2007

[Grant Lee]

Singapore, June 23 (OsterDowJones) - Rapid growth in manufacturing activity
and infrastructure construction in China means it will surpass the U.S. as
the world's largest aluminum consumer by 2007, the Australian Bureau of
Agricultural and Resource Economics said in its latest forecast issued
Monday.
The agency, also known as Abare, forecasts China to account for a
significant proportion of the increase in global aluminum demand over the
medium term.

Abare said China's consumption of primary aluminum will rise at an average
annual rate of 7% to around 6.6 million metric tons in 2008.

In comparison, aluminum demand in the U.S. is projected to grow at an annual
average rate of less than 2% to reach 6 million tons in 2008, driven by
increasing usage in the automobile, construction and packaging industries,
Abare said.

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