The uncontrolled exploitation and development of the natural graphite industry has kept its crude-processed products in excess of capacity. A number of small enterprises with insufficient financial resources are able to ease their operating pressures by exporting large quantities of primary products. For many years, china has been the largest exporter of natural graphite products, and in developed countries that are technologically advanced in graphite-processing products, it has adopted a strategy of “buy-for-take” natural graphite and a technology embargo。
Non-renewable natural graphite resources continue to be lost in the form of primary exports. Graphite cutting-edge products required by domestic firms can only be imported 100 times more at the price of exported graphite。
Industry has expressed the view that natural graphite, as a promising non-renewable resource, should be properly restricted in the export of its primary products, and more energy should be devoted to supporting the development of high-end products, “not allowing graphite to follow the old path of rare soil”。
Exports are the highest in the world
According to usgs (united states geological survey), the global natural graphite reserves detected in 2013 were about 130 million tons, with brazil, china and india accounting for the first three countries, of which china had approximately 55 million tons, or 42 per cent of the global reserves. The global production of natural graphite in 2013 was 1. 19 million tons, of which china produced 810,000 tons, representing 68 per cent of global production, and ranked first in the world。
Most of the natural graphite products produced in the country are the primary processed products. These primary processed products face overcapacity, which in turn stifles prices. Prior to 2011, the price of graphite powder, the largest primary product of natural graphite production, increased year by year, reaching 6,700 yuan/t in 2011. Its prices then began to decline continuously and, to date, the price of graphite powder has fallen by more than 50 per cent。
Because of the fragmented nature of the natural graphite sector, which is home to a large number of small enterprises, many have opted to export to ease financial pressures。
For many years, my country has been the largest exporter of primary graphite products, accounting for about 50 per cent of total world exports annually. According to chinese customs data, exports of “natural graphite” from china amounted to 440,000 tons, 250,000 tons and 250,000 tons respectively in 2011-2013. Experts have told journalists that “natural graphite” in customs statistics is mainly graphite powder, with lower purity products exported at prices of less than $3,000 per ton。
Other data show that china exported more than 580,000 tons of graphite products abroad in 2010, while india, the second largest export of graphite products, exported less than 100,000 tons。
The price differential for imported and exported products is as high as 100 times that
While our country exports large quantities of primary graphite products, developed countries, such as the united states and japan, have long ago identified graphite as a strategic resource and strictly controlled mining。
Countries with the largest imports of chinese graphite are also the main suppliers of deep-processed products. Owing to the embargo imposed by developed countries such as the united states and japan on deep-processed graphite technology, domestic enterprises that have been unable to achieve technological breakthroughs have little capacity to produce the most sophisticated graphite products. Chen yucheng, secretary-general of the graphite industry association of heilongjiang province, stated that “experts in graphite abroad would need to undergo a level of approval if they were to travel to china or to travel on business”
The demand for cutting-edge graphite products can only be met through high-price imports because of the shortage of domestic firms. The losses of china's graphite industry are difficult to measure, as primary exports are low, high-end imports are high。
“main exports of graphite powder at a minimum price of less than $3,000 per ton; imports of negative polar materials that can reach 100,000 to 200,000 yuan per ton; and some fluoride graphite products that can reach 300,000 to 500,000 yuan per ton.” mr. Wang qinghai, managing director of the oku graphite group。
It is noteworthy that the processing of primary graphite products into high-end products inevitably leads to the loss of raw materials. For example, using negative materials made of natural graphite powder from abroad, a national graphite expert and prof. Yuan kuo fai, harbin industrial university, described the loss of such products as about 80 per cent, i. E. 1 kg of natural graphite could be made into 0. 8 kg negative polar material. However, even if the rate of loss of raw materials of 20 per cent is taken into account, the price gap between exports and imports remains alarming。
A graphite firm leader from roxi also indicated that he had worked with one of the country's leading institutions in the early years to invest in the technological development of graphite-processing products. However, the products produced were ultimately not eligible, and businesses lost millions. Moreover, it is difficult for enterprises that invest in deep-processed products to obtain state subsidies, and the companies then do not invest in it, but mainly in graphite mining and primary product processing. “after all, the risk is low.” according to the person in charge。
Exports of primary products should be reasonably restricted
“it is true that the heilong river also wants to restrict exports”, chen ying revealed to journalists the current embarrassment of the heilong river, “but the survival of many businesses is difficult to ensure if there are immediate and substantial restrictions on exports. The graphite industry in the heilong river, which is already the country's highest production cost, would be too hard on the graphite industry if it could no longer be exported”。
With regard to the export of graphite products, domestic graphite specialists and professor yuan kuo fai of harbin industrial university believe that there should be some forward-looking control: “the graphite is, after all, a non-renewable resource that cannot be considered restrictive until the graphite resources are exhausted, and it is now time to properly control the export of primary products”。
In the same vein, han yuxhen, president of the graphite industry association, believes that the export of primary graphite products should be limited and that export subsidies for some natural graphite products, such as spherical graphite, should be eliminated。
“spherical graphite before it was a deep-processed product is now rapidly developing. The spherical graphite is already a relatively high-end product in the coarse product."。
According to liu yonghua, under-secretary-general of the graphite professional committee of the china association for non-metallic industry, it is unrealistic to impose complete restrictions on the export of primary graphite products. “the development of large enterprises capable of further processing should be rationally guided. If there were high-end deep-processed products with higher technological development in the country, it would naturally be reluctant to export primary products. Marketization leads to better solutions”。
The director of the china energy economics research centre of the university of xiamen, limberg [webbo], said that domestic resources could be integrated, drawing on the manipulation of rare land, for issues such as the production and export of graphite products. “the integration cannot wait until resources are no longer available. Governments now need to draw on models for the regulation of rare earth resources and to direct resources towards technological development in order not to allow graphite resources to revert to the same path”。
(internship zhang has also contributed to this paper)
Capital markets
Unproduct-free, market-free graphite concept of prosperity
Every reporter from beijing
Although the price of natural graphite products fell across the line, the three words graphene were shining in capital markets. The news that “the graphite age will subvert the silicon age”, “the graphite resources will be depleted”, and the graphite concept unit has been stimulated by the rapid rise。
However, more than 10 graphite concept companies have been listed in the daily economic news newspaper for almost three years and have found that some companies do not have graphite-related business, even some of them do not have graphite-related products or carbon-containing gas. In fact, even if the graphite resources are really depleted, there is not necessarily an impact on the manufacture of graphite。
All companies developing graphite projects in the country are also at the research and development stage, and none of them have a primary business。
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