Storyline: China's aluminum sector powers ahead on robust demand ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[Voice_over] China's aluminum sector remains steady with strong demand and supply supporting high production levels. Since 2017, China's national electrolytic aluminum production capacity has been capped at 45 million tons. By the end of September this year, the utilization had reached approximately 44.5 million tons. The general manager of an aluminum processing plant in Henan Province said they have orders scheduled through 2026. [Sound_bite] Wang Luke, general manager, Henan Wanda Aluminum: "Our orders are scheduled until the end of the year. Since March, we've been in a state of constant short supply." ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[Voice_over] While upstream and midstream sectors show accelerated production, aluminum is seeing rising applications downstream, especially in strategic industries like new energy. As a light-weight durable metal, aluminum is replacing copper in photovoltaic systems, mainly for frames and mounting structures. And in new energy vehicles, where light-weight materials make all the difference. [Sound_bite] Jia Haifeng, deputy general manager, Special Cable Division at Honglin Technology: "New energy vehicles need to reduce weight to improve range. High-voltage wiring contributes significantly to total weight. Copper weighs around 8.89 grams per cubic centimeter, but aluminum is about one-third lighter." ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[Voice_over] Earlier this year, Chinese authorities unveiled a plan to support the non-ferrous metals industry including a goal of growing the output of 10 major non-ferrous metals by 1.5 percent annually until the end of next year. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]