Displaying items by tag: China

Nigeria: The Senate has directed the Bureau of Public Procurement to halt the planned sale of Lafarge Africa to Chinese producer Huaxin Cement on ‘national security and economic sovereignty grounds’, according to the This Day newspaper. Concerns have reportedly been raised that the deal could lead to capital flight, job losses and reduced regulatory oversight over a sector vital to national development.

Holcim, which owns an 84% stake in Lafarge Africa, initially announced the company’s sale to Huaxin Cement for US$1bn in December 2024. The transaction is set to complete in 2025, pending regulatory approvals.

Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu said “We cannot afford to wake up one day and realise that our cement industry, one of the backbones of our economy, is entirely in foreign hands. We must ensure that strategic assets like Lafarge Africa remain in the hands of those who have the country’s best interests at heart.”

Senator Olamilekan Adeola said “The company is about to be divested and the transaction has been shrouded in secrecy. What the motion is simply asking for is that we want this transaction to be as transparent as possible. By the time the eventual sale of this company is done, we will be fully satisfied that Nigeria’s economy will be protected.”

China: NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers has confirmed an order for a 38,000t methanol dual-fuel pneumatic cement carrier by Zhejiang Xinle Shipbuilding, for delivery in 2027.

The vessel will be chartered under a long-term contract by Holcim. Other features include an air lubricating system and a waste heat recovery system, which will recycle exhaust gases to generate electricity.

“By increasing the quantity intake and burning green methanol, the CO₂ emissions on these shipments will be reduced by more than 60% per year in comparison to current freight flows, ie 0.18Mt of CO₂ reduction over a period of 10 years,” NovaAlgoma said.

The Pacific Cement Corporation (PACEMCO) held a groundbreaking ceremony this week officially ‘reopening’ its cement plant in Surigao City. The revival of the plant has been supported by investments by San Miguel Corporation (SMC). Various dignitaries attended the event including John Paul Ang, the chief operating officer of SMC, the mayor of Surigao City mayor and the governor of Surigao del Norte.

The plant has been closed since 2014 due to financial problems. At the time, Global Cement reported that the cement plant stopped operations in May 2014 after the Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative cut its power supply for unsettled debts worth at least US$0.5m. PACEMCO was originally set up in 1967 and the plant had a production capacity of 0.22Mt/yr via one production line in 2014.

Earlier in March 2025 the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) was keen to highlight the efforts that Taiheiyo Cement Philippines (TCP) is making towards supporting the country's infrastructure capacity. Company executives met with the DTI and revealed plans including building a distribution terminal in Calaca, Batangas with the aim of targeting the Luzon market. This follows the construction of a new US$220m production line at TCP’s San Fernando plant in Cebu in July 2024.

Both announcements follow the implementation in late February 2025 of a provisional tariff on cement imports. The DTI started investigating imports in the autumn of 2024 and later decided to initiate a ‘preliminary safeguard measure’ following the discovery of a “causal link between the increased imports of the products under consideration and serious injury to the domestic industry.” The tariff takes the form of a cash bond of US$6.95/t or US$0.28/40kg bag of cement. It will be in place for 200 days, to mid-September 2025, while the Philippine Tariff Commission conducts a final investigation. The two main countries that will be affected are Vietnam and Japan. A large number of countries are exempt from the tariff including, notably, China and Indonesia. Both of these two countries were larger sources of imports to the Philippines during the five-year period the DTI is investigating. However, imports from these places have declined since 2021 and 2023 respectively.

Graph 1: Import of cement to the Philippines, 2019 - 2024. Source: Department of Trade and Industry.

A preliminary report by the DTI published in late February 2025 outlines the reasons for the provisional tariff. In summary it found that imports rose from 2019 and 2024 and the share of imports increased also pushing down the domestic share of sales. In the view of the report, the domestic cement sector experienced declining sales, production, capacity utilisation, profitability and employment for each year apart from 2021. One point to note is that the imports were split roughly 50:50 between local and foreign companies. Local company Philcement, for example, was the largest importer for cement to the Philippines from 2019 to 2024. In its statement to the DTI it said that it had invested in manufacturing the processing sites in the country. It argued that overprotection of the market discouraged competition and might not be aligned with the economic goals of the country.

Last time Global Cement Weekly covered the Philippines (GCW669) in July 2024 it looked likely that the government would take further action on imports. This has now happened on a temporary basis but it looks likely that it will become permanent. Recent investment announcements from local producers such as PACEMCO and TCP may be coincidental but they suggest a tentative confidence in the local sector.

Tunisia: Wan Li, the Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia, has revealed that a ‘Chinese company specialising in the cement sector’ is preparing to acquire a cement plant close to the capital city Tunis. The value of the transaction is reported to be more than US$100m. If completed, it would be the first Chinese investment in Tunisia in the 2020s.

Li said "We are confident that this state-of-the-art company will introduce modern techniques and upgrade the plant's equipment, which will have a positive impact on the environment." He also assured that this acquisition will improve the productivity and efficiency of the cement plant.

China: China Tianrui Group Cement has appointed Li Liufa as its chair. He succeeds Li Xuanyu in the role, who has resigned due to “other work commitments.”

Li Liufa is the founder of Tianrui Group. He has been a non-executive director of China Tianrui Group Cement since 2011 and became a member of its nomination committee in 2018. He is responsible for our group’s overall strategic planning and the management of its business. Li was the head of Shanshui Cement from 2015 to 2018. He has also held representative positions for Henan province to the National People’s Congress on a number of occasions between 2003 to 2018. Li holds an executive master of business administration from Peking University. Li Liufa is the father of Li Xuanyu.

China: China Resources Building Materials Technology expects its full-year profit to have dropped by 62 – 72% year-on-year in 2024, Reuters has reported. This would correspond to a gross profit of US$579 – 786m, compared to US$2.07bn in 2023. The producer attributed the anticipated decline to ‘lower gross margins’ in its various businesses.

Pakistan: Thatta Cement has signed a memorandum of understanding with China-based Qing Gong Construction Group to build a 5000t/day production line. They concluded the deal during a state visit by President Asif Ali Zardari to China, according to the Radio Pakistan. Other agreements were also signed in sectors including renewable energy.

US President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on imports from Canada, China, Mexico and the European Union this week. Tariffs to Canada and Mexico were announced on 1 February 2025 and then paused for a month to allow for negotiations. Ones to China have been implemented. Tariffs to the European Union have been proposed but nothing has happened yet. What does this mean for the cement sector?

Graph 1: Imports of cement and clinker to the US. Source: USGS. Estimated data for 2024.

The data suggests that whacking 25% tariffs on cement imports from Canada and Mexico would have an impact. The US imported 26.5Mt of cement and clinker in 2023. Based on United States Geological Survey (USGS) data from January to October 2024, imports in 2024 have fallen by 8% year-on-year but they still represent a large chunk of consumption. Türkiye has been the biggest source of imports over the last five years but Canada has been the second biggest supplier. Together with Mexico, it provided over a quarter of imports in 2023. A similar share is expected in 2024. Greece, a country in the EU, has also been present in the top five importing countries to the US during this time.

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) reinforced this view. In a carefully worded statement it took pains to point out alignment with the intentions behind the tariffs, such as appreciating that the administration was open to negotiation and appeared to be flexible. However, it warned that the moves could adversely affect energy and national security, delay infrastructure projects and raise costs. It pointed out the import share from Canada and Mexico, adding that this represented nearly 7% of the US’ cement consumption. It noted which states were the main entry points for cement imports from the two countries. Finally, it highlighted the high level of consumption (36%) that imports from Canada might account for in northern states such as New York, Washington and so on. Meanwhile, Mexico’s National Chamber of Cement (CANACEM) warned that the proposed actions might trigger a ‘competitiveness crisis’ in the US.

Holcim’s CEO, by contrast, nonchalantly told Reuters that he didn’t expect any impact by tariffs on his business. Miljan Gutovic described the group’s US operations as a local business with production happening in the country and equipment and spare parts all being sourced locally. This optimistic view is likely to be influenced by the company’s impending spin-off of its US business. The listing in the US remains scheduled for the first half of 2025 with no complications expected from tariffs.

Clearly, implementing tariffs on imports of cement and clinker from Canada and Mexico could cause a shortage in the US in the short term. This, in turn, could lead to higher prices for consumers in the US. This potential effect would be pronounced in border regions that are reliant on imports. It is worth noting that a number of production lines in both Mexico and Canada have previously been mobilised to meet the export market to the US. These lines would likely be mothballed if tariffs were to be implemented, unless they could find other markets. In the medium term though, as the World Cement Association (WCA) pointed out this week, the world produces too much cement. So it looks likely that the US cement market would adjust to a new equilibrium. Taxing imports from the EU would have a similar effect. Although it seems like it would be less pronounced for the US cement market unless it was in conjunction with tariffs to Canada and Mexico. It would certainly be bad news for cement producers in Greece.

Cement producers in the US look set to benefit from tariffs as demand for their products and prices could increase. There is a risk that too sudden a change to the import market could cause adverse market effects through shortages. Many of these companies are multinational groups with headquarters in foreign countries. However, the strength of the US market compared to elsewhere has prompted some of these businesses to become more ‘American’ through listing in the US or focusing merger and acquisition activity in North America.

At this point we’re stuck in a half-way house place where import tariffs have been threatened and negotiations are pending. The relatively muted stock market reaction to the tariffs and Trump’s swiftness in enacting pauses suggest that it is brinkmanship by the US administration. If this situation continues for any length of time then it will likely have an effect all of its own. In which case don’t expect any export-focused investment by cement companies in Canada and Mexico any time soon.

US: Holcim’s CEO Miljan Gutovic says he does not expect any effects of proposed US tariffs upon his company. "I don't really see any impact, because our business is a local business (in the US)," said Gutovic in an interview with Reuters. "We are producing locally, we are sourcing the equipment, the spare parts locally, so how is this going to affect us? I do not see it." He added that the proposed tariffs were also unlikely to pose any problems to the group’s planned spin-off of its business in the US. The listing of its North America-based business is remains scheduled for the first half of 2025.

The US government proposed tariffs upon imported goods from Canada and Mexico in early February 2025 but these have been paused for one month. Tariffs on China are set to start on 4 February 2025. US President Donald Trump has also spoken about implementing tariffs on the EU.

Indonesia: A government scheme to build three millions houses per year is expected to boost demand for cement. Special envoy for climate change and energy, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, said that the country had secured financing from Qatar to construct four to six million housing units, according to Antara. An agreement has been secured with the UAE to build one million houses. Hashim also mentioned that countries including China, Türkiye, India and Singapore had expressed interest in investing. The government’s housing budget plan for 2025 is currently valued at around US$310m.