Platts Australian daily assessment was stable at $321/mt FOB, with buying and selling interest at $1-$2/mt on either side.

China appeared to be in talks to pick up at least one to two July and August shipments. Certain prospective buyers said they were eying Australian material for blending with local supply.

A larger number of Chinese consumers said they weren’t prepared to pay an unjustifiably high premium for Australian material, when there was ample cheaper domestic supply, in import parity terms.

Chinese market participants generally said the key alumina price drivers would be aluminum price trends on the London Metal and Shanghai Futures exchanges.

CIF China bid, ask levels were heard at $330/mt against $336-$338/mt.

Platts assessed the Handysize freight rate at $13.65/mt on Monday for a 30,000 mt shipment in the second half of July from Western Australia to Lianyungang in China.

In recent weeks, market participants have reported being shown Australian, Brazilian and Indian material for shipment in July, August and September.

The Platts China alumina assessment for Henan province at Yuan 2,400/mt ($393) ex-works for 70:30 cash and credit payment terms was unchanged from Friday. Platts did not publish an assessment for Monday due to a public holiday in China.