Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) began to supply Kazakhstan's alumina to China to attract new customers, reports Reuters.

"The ERG began shipping alumina (aluminum oxide) from Kazakhstan to Xinjiang in an attempt to reduce dependence on the main buyer United Company Rusal, four informed sources said," the report reads.

The purchase of raw materials used for the production of aluminum from Kazakhstan is a rare phenomenon in China, the world's largest producer of metal. According to customs data, China did not import alumina from Kazakhstan in 2017 or 2018.

More than 10,000 tons of alumina was delivered to Xinjiang Tianlong Mining Co. this week, by rail, through the border town of Alashankou. For the first time, a company with a production capacity of 250,000 tons of aluminum per year imported material. According to one source, Tianlong signed an agreement with the ERG for the supply of a total of 12,000 tons.

According to the ERG,  1.5 million tons of alumina produces per year in Kazakhstan.

“The Qazaq Times”