China to Import 45 Million wmt of Nickel Ore from the Philippines in 2014

 Inbound shipments of nickel ore to China from the Philippines are expected to reach 45 million wet tonnes (wmt) in 2014, Shanghai Metals Market foresees.    The Philippines has become the leading supplier of laterite nickel ore to China after Indonesia introduced its export ban on unprocessed ore early this year.    Higher profit following strong price gains of nickel ore has encouraged a large number of mines in the Philippines to increase production or restart idled operations.