China 2012 Metals Demand to Grow at Slower Pace, Group Says

Metal demand in China, the biggest consumer of copper and aluminum, may grow at a slower pace in 2012 and prices may be lower than this year, Wang Huajun, deputy secretary-general of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association.

“It is unlikely to see metals demand to grow at more than 10 percent next year,” given the macroeconomic environment, Wang said at a forum in Shanghai. He did not give comparative figures for this year.