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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes þ No ☐

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If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes ☐ No þ

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Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes þ No ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

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†The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Yes þ No ☐

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If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

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Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

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U.S. GAAP ☐

International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board þ

Other ☐

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If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.

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Item 17 ☐ Item 18 ☐

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If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

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Yes ☐ No þ

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(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.

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Yes ☐ No ☐

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this annual report, which does not relate to historical information, may be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements. The words or phrases “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “is anticipated,” “estimate,” “project,” “believe” or similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results and those presently anticipated or projected. You should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to:

These statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our experience and our perception of historical trends, current conditions and future developments, as well as other factors we believe are appropriate in particular circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will meet our expectations and predictions depends on a number of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations. These risks are more fully described in the section headed “Item 3. Key Information - D. Risk Factors.”

Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this annual report are qualified by these cautionary statements. We cannot assure you that the actual results or developments anticipated by us will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected effect on us or our business or operations.

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Certain Terms and Conventions

“Chalco,” “the Company,” “the Group,” “our Company,” “our Group,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Aluminum Corporation of China Limited and its subsidiaries and, where appropriate, to its predecessors;

“A Share(s)” and “domestic share(s)” refer to our domestic ordinary share(s), with a par value of RMB1.00 each, which are listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange;

“ADR(s)” refers to the American Depositary Receipt(s);

“ADS(s)” refers to the American Depositary Share(s);

“alumina-to-silica ratio” refers to the ratio of alumina to silica in bauxite by weight;

“aluminum fabrication” refers to the process of converting primary aluminum or recycled aluminum materials into plates, strips, bars, tubes and other fabricated products;

“Baotou Aluminum” refers to Baotou Aluminum Co., Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary established under the PRC law;

“bauxite” refers to a mineral ore that is principally composed of aluminum;

“Bayer process” refers to a refining process that employs a strong solution of caustic soda at an elevated temperature to extract alumina from ground bauxite;

“Bayer-sintering combined process” and “Bayer-sintering series process” refer to the two methods of refining process developed in China which involve the combined application of the Bayer process and the sintering process to extract alumina from bauxite;

“Board” refers to our board of directors;

“Boffa Project” refers to the project to develop and operate a bauxite mine located in Boffa, Guinea, in accordance with a mining convention entered into by Chalco Hong Kong, Chalco Guinea Company S.A. and the Guinean government on June 8, 2018;

“CBEX” refers to China Beijing Equity Exchange, an approved equity exchange for the transfer of state-owned assets;

“Chinalco Assets” refers to Chinalco Assets Operation and Management Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinalco;

“Chalco Carbon” refers to Chalco (Shanghai) Carbon Co., Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary;

“Chalco Energy” refers to Chalco Energy Co., Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary established under the PRC law;

“Chalco Hong Kong���” refers to Chalco Hong Kong Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary established under Hong Kong Law;

“Chalco Logistics” refers to Chalco Aluminum Logistics Corporation Group Co., Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary established under the PRC law;

“Chalco Materials” refers to Chalco Materials Co., Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary established under the PRC law;

“Gansu Huayang” refers to Gansu Huayang Mining Development Company Limited, 70% of the equity interest of which is owned by us;

“Logistics Zhongzhou” refers to China Aluminum Logistics Group Zhongzhou Co., Ltd., our indirect subsidiary;

“MIIT” refers to Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the PRC;

“Shanxi Huayu” refers to Shanxi Huayu Energy Investment Co., Ltd., aour indirect wholly-owned subsidiary established under the PRC law.

“Shanxi New Material” or “Shanxi Huaze” refers to Chalco Shanxi New Material Co., Ltd., formerly known as Shanxi Huaze Aluminum and Power Co., Limited, 85.98% of the equity interest of which is owned by us;

“Zhengzhou Institute” refers to Chalco Zhengzhou Research Institute of Non-ferrous Metal Co., Ltd., our wholly-owned subsidiary, which primarily provides research and development services;

“Zhongzhou Aluminum” refers to Chalco Zhongzhou Aluminum Co., Ltd., our indirect wholly-owned subsidiary established under the PRC law;subsidiary;

“Zhongzhou Aluminum Plant” refers to Henan Zhongzhou Aluminum Plant Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinalco;

“Zhongzhou Logistics” refers to Henan Zhongzhou Logistics Co., Ltd., which had been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinalco and was dissolved in September 2020;

“Zunyi Alumina” refers to Chalco Zunyi Alumina Co., Ltd., which was merged into Zunyi Aluminum in June 2018; and

“Zunyi Aluminum” refers to Zunyi Aluminum Co., Ltd., 67.45% of the equity interest of which is owned by us.

Translations of amounts in this annual report from Renminbi to U.S. dollars and vice versa have been made at the rate of RMB6.3726RMB6.8972 to US$1.00, the exchange rate as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board for December 30, 2021.2022. We make no representation that any Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate, the rates stated below, or at all.

Any discrepancies in any table between the amounts identified as total amounts and the sum of the amounts listed therein are due to rounding.

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PART I

Item 1.Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisors

Not applicable.

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Item 2.Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

Not applicable.

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Item 3.Key Information

Significant Risks Associated with Being Based in and Having the Majority of Our Operations in China

We face legal and operational risks associated with being based in and having the majority of our operations in China. Changes in PRC economic, political or social conditions or government policies could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations. The PRC government has the authority to exert significant influence on the ability of a China-based company, including us, to conduct its business, and investors of Chalco and our business face potential uncertainty as a result. For example, we face risks associated with PRC governmental authorities’ significant oversight and discretion over our businesses and financing activities, the requirement of regulatory approvals for offerings conducted overseas by and foreign investment in China-based issuers, the enforcement of anti-monopoly regime, which may impact our ability to conduct certain businesses, accept foreign investments. The materialization of these risks may result in a material adverse change to our business operations and financial condition, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, and cause our ADSs and/or other securities to significantly decline in value or become worthless. See “Item 3. Key Information - D. Risk Factors - Our operations are affected by a number of risks relating to conducting business in the PRC. The PRC government has significant authority to intervene or influence the operations of a China-based company, such as us, at any time. The materialization of any such risk may result in a material adverse change to our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations, and cause your investment in our ADSs to significantly decline in value or become worthless.” Moreover, on September 1, 2022, our ADSs were delisted from the NYSE. Our ADSs are now traded on the over-the-counter market (the “OTC Market”), which may adversely affect the market price of our ADSs and make it difficult for our shareholders to resell their ADSs. In light of the delisting, we subsequently delivered a termination letter to the depositary for our ADSs, for the termination of our ADS program on March 30, 2023. Our ADS program is expected to be terminated on June 30, 2023. See “Item 3. Key Information - D. Risk Factors - We voluntarily delisted our ADSs from the NYSE, which could reduce the liquidity and market price of our ADSs and underlying shares.”

Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspections by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit our shares or the ADSs from being traded in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, including our auditor. In May 2022, the SEC conclusively listed us as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCA Act following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. For this reason, we do not expect to be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCA Act after we file this annual report on Form 20-F. Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. If PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong and we continue to use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, we would be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the relevant fiscal year. There can be no assurance that we would not be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for any future fiscal year, and if we were so identified for two consecutive years, we would become subject to the prohibition on trading under the HFCA Act. See “Item 3. Key Information - D. Risk Factors - Our ADSs may be prohibited from trading in the United States under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and the relevant laws and regulations if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China.”

An investment in our ADSs and/or other securities involves a high degree of risk and should be considered speculative. You should carefully consider all risk factors set out in “Item 3. Key Information - D. Risk Factors” and other information before investing in our ADSs. If any event arising from these risks occurs, our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows could be materially adversely affected, the trading price of our ADSs and/or other securities could decline and all or part of your investment may be lost.

Requisite Permissions and Approvals

We are principally subject to governmental supervision and regulation by five agencies of the PRC government:

See “Item 4. Information of the Company - B. Business Overview - Regulatory Overview.” As Chalco is incorporated in China, our capital markets financing activities are subject to approval by the CSRC, regardless of whether the funds are raised in or outside China. We must obtain prior approval from the CSRC for issuance of equity securities or equity-linked securities. Our offering of corporate bonds in China is also subject to supervision of the CSRC. The governmental and regulatory interference could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

As an industrial producer of alumina, primary aluminum and other non-ferrous metals, our capital markets financing activities are not subject to approval by the Cyber Administration of China, or the CAC. Furthermore, our ordinary course of business is not subject to permission requirements from the CAC. Accordingly, we believe that our business operations have not been directly affected by the regulations and policies that have been issued by the CAC to date.

As of December 31, 2022 and up to the date of this annual report, we have received all requisite permissions and approvals that are material to our operations, and no permissions or approvals that are material to our operations have been denied. However, if we do not receive or maintain any permissions or approvals that are material to our operations, conclude that such permissions or approvals are not required, or the applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and we are required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, our business operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected, and our ADSs could significantly decline in value or become worthless.

Transfers of Cash within Our Group and Dividend Payment

Any determination related to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors after considering its financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors the board of directors deems relevant, and subject to the restrictions contained in any financing instruments. Subject to the PRC Company Law and our Articles of Association, our board of directors may propose to authorize and declare a dividend to shareholders at such time and of such an amount as they think fit if they are satisfied, on reasonable grounds, that immediately following the dividend the value of its assets will exceed its liabilities and we will be able to pay our debts as they become due. See “Item 8. Financial Information - Dividend Policy” for details of our dividend policy.

Chalco’s cash dividends, if made, are declared in Renminbi with respect to our H shares on a per share basis and paid in HK dollars. The Bank of New York Mellon, as depositary, converts the HK dollar dividend payments and distributes them to holders of ADSs in U.S. dollars, less expenses of conversion. See “Item 10. Additional Information - E. Taxation” for tax consequences of dividends made to investors of our ADSs.

The Listed Company’s payment of dividends is dependent on receipt of funds from its subsidiaries by way of dividend payments. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to the Listed Company only out of its accumulated after-tax profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our PRC subsidiaries are required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Our PRC subsidiaries could further set aside a portion of its after-tax profits to fund a discretionary reserve, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at the discretion of their shareholder, i.e. the Listed Company. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation. Under PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, dividends payment from our subsidiaries to the Listed Company are exempt from taxation.

The PRC government also imposes controls on the conversion of RMB into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. See “Item 10. Additional Information - D. Exchange Controls.” Although we have not experienced any difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency for the payment of dividends in the past, we cannot assure you that we will not experience such difficulties for the payment of dividends in the future.

For the years ended 2020, 2021 and 2022, the Listed Company received dividends of RMB1,797.4 million, RMB4,059.8 million and RMB6,075.8 million from our subsidiaries, primarily including our principal subsidiaries disclosed in “Item 4. Information on the Company - C. Organizational Structure.” For the year ended December 31, 2020, we did not make dividend payment because we had accumulated losses as of December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022, we had retained earnings of RMB6,810.1 million and RMB10,089.5 million, respectively. As disclosed in our current reports on Form 6-K furnished to the SEC on June 21 and 28, 2022, the final dividends payable for 2021 amount to approximately RMB544,891,195.38 in total, and the final dividends payable on each H share for 2021 is HK$0.0372 (tax inclusive), which was paid on August 19, 2022. As disclosed in our current report on Form 6-K furnished to the SEC on March 21, 2023, the dividends declared for 2022 is RMB0.036 per H share.

A.Selected Financial Data

Reserved.

B.Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable.

C.Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

D.Risk Factors

Our business and financial condition and results of operations are subject to various changing business, competitive, economic, political and social conditions in China and worldwide. In addition to the factors discussed elsewhere in this annual report, the following are some of the important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements.

We voluntarily delisted our ADSs from the NYSE, which could reduce the liquidity and market price of our ADSs and underlying shares.

Our Board approved the voluntarily withdrawal of our ADSs from listing on the NYSE, primarily due to a number of considerations, including the limited trading volume of the ADSs of the Company as compared to the worldwide trading volume of H shares of the Company, and the considerable administrative burden and costs associated with maintaining the listing of the ADSs on the NYSE and the registration of the ADSs and the underlying H shares with the SEC and complying with the periodic reporting and related obligations under the Exchange Act. We filed a Form 25 with the SEC on August 22, 2022 in order to delist our Shares from the NYSE, which occurred ten days thereafter upon effectiveness of the Form 25. Accordingly, our last day of trading on the NYSE was September 1, 2022. Our ADSs are currently traded on the OTC Market and our ticker symbol was changed from “ACH” to “ACHHY.” In light of the delisting, we subsequently delivered a termination letter to the depositary for our ADSs, for the termination of our ADS program on March 30, 2023. Our ADS program is expected to be terminated on June 30, 2023.

The delisting of our shares from the NYSE could negatively impact us because it could: (i) reduce the liquidity and market price of our ADSs, (ii) reduce the number of investors willing to hold or acquire our ADSs, which could negatively impact our ability to raise equity financing, and (iii) impair our ability to raise additional necessary capital through equity or debt financing in the United States if needed in the future.

Trading on the OTC Market may be volatile and sporadic, which could depress the market price of our ADSs. Selling our ADSs on the OTC Market could be more difficult because smaller quantities of ADSs would likely be bought and sold, transactions could be delayed, and security analysts’ coverage of us may be reduced. In addition, broker-dealers have certain regulatory burdens imposed upon them, which may discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our ADSs, further limiting the liquidity of our ADSs. As a result, the market price of our ADSs may be depressed, and as a result it may be more difficult to sell our ADSs.

Additionally, we intend to file a Form 15F with the SEC to deregister our ADSs and the underlying ordinary shares under the Exchange Act once we have met the criteria for deregistration. Thereafter, all of our reporting obligations under the Exchange Act will be suspended unless the Form 15F is subsequently withdrawn or denied. Deregistration of ADSs and the underlying ordinary shares and termination of our reporting obligations under the Exchange Act are expected to become effective 90 days after the filing of Form 15F with the SEC.

Once the Form 15F is filed, we will publish the information required under Rule 12g3-2(b) of the Exchange Act on our website, www.chalco.com.cn. We will also continue to comply with our financial reporting and other obligations as a listed issuer on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Our ADSs may be prohibited from trading in the United States under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and the relevant laws and regulations if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China.

As part of continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by foreign law, in particular the PRC’s law, on December 18, 2020, the United States enacted the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act. The HFCA Act includes requirements for the SEC to identify issuers whose audit reports are prepared by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a restriction imposed by a non-U.S. authority in the auditor’s local jurisdiction. The HFCA Act also requires public companies on this SEC list to certify that they are not owned or controlled by a foreign government and make certain additional disclosure in their SEC filings that cover a “non-inspection” year. In addition, if the auditor of a U.S.-listed company is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive “non-inspection” years, the SEC is required to prohibit the securities of these issuers from being traded on a U.S. national securities exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange, on OTC markets in the United States or through any other method within the SEC’s jurisdiction to regulate.

On September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a final rule implementing the HFCA Act, which provides a framework for the PCAOB to determine, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction. Final rules implementing certain requirements of the HFCA Act, or the Final Rules, were adopted by the SEC on December 2, 2021 and generally became effective on January 10, 2022. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued the HFCA Act Determination Report, according to which our auditor is subject to the determination that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate it completely. Pursuant to the Final Rules, the SEC began to identify Commission-Identified Issuers in March 2022. On May 26, 2022, we were listed on the “conclusive list of issuers identified under the HFCA Act,” indicating that we are now Commission-Identified Issuers subject to the delisting provisions if we remain on the list for two consecutive years. A Commission-Identified Issuer is required to comply with the submission and disclosure requirements in the annual report for each year in which it was identified. Since we have been identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer based on this annual report, we are required to comply with the submission or disclosure requirements in our annual report filing covering the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Although our ADSs have been delisted from the NYSE since September 1, 2022, under the HFCA Act and the Final Rules, our securities will be prohibited from trading in over-the-counter markets after we are identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for two consecutive years, and this ultimately would result in our ADSs being prohibited from over-the-counter trading.

On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed a statement of protocol agreement with the CSRC and the MOF, or the “Cooperative Agreement.” According to the fact sheets published by the PCAOB, the PCAOB has the sole discretion in selecting the subject of its inspections and investigations without input from the Chinese authorities, and that procedures are in place to allow PCAOB inspectors and investigators to review complete audit working papers of accounting firms located in mainland China and Hong Kong.

On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. For this reason, we do not expect to be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCA Act after we file this annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. If the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong and we use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, we would be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the relevant fiscal year.

Any lack of access to the PCAOB inspection in China may prevent the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of the auditors based in China. As a result, the investors may be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspection. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of these accounting firms’ audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause existing and potential investors to lose confidence in audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of financial statements of China-based companies.

Our operations are affected by a number of risks relating to conducting business in the PRC. The administrative regulations, departmental rules, and industry regulatory requirements in relation to production safety and environmental protection issued by the Chinese government and relevant government authorities may affect the operations of a China-based company, such as us. The materialization of such risk may result in an adverse change to our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations, and in extreme cases, may cause your investment in our ADSs to significantly decline in value or become worthless.

As most of our assets and operations are located in the PRC, we are subject to a number of risks relating to conducting business in the PRC, including the following:

We are subject to, and incur costs to comply with, environmental laws and regulations.

As we produce air emissions, discharge waste water, and handle hazardous substances at our bauxite mines, alumina refineries and primary aluminum smelters, we are subject to, and incur costs to comply with, environmental laws and regulations.

Given the magnitude, complexity and continuous amendments to these laws and regulations, compliance therewith may be onerous or may involve substantial financial and other resources to establish efficient compliance and monitoring systems. The liabilities, costs, obligations and requirements associated with these laws and regulations may therefore be substantial and may delay the commencement of, or cause interruptions to, our operations. Non-compliance with the relevant laws and regulations applicable to our operations may even result in substantial penalties or fines, suspension or revocation of our relevant licenses or permits, termination of government contracts or suspension of our operations. As the environmental protection standards and requirements may be further enhanced, we cannot assure you that non-compliance incidents would not occur in the future. If such incidents were to occur, they could impact our operating results, financial condition and reputation, all of which could adversely affect our profitability and ability to retain existing customers and to attract new customers.

In addition, the environmental laws and regulations in the PRC and other jurisdictions in which we operate continue to evolve. As a result, we may incur significant additional costs if relevant laws and regulations change or enforcement of existing laws and regulations becomes more rigorous. For instance, in April 2020, the Law on Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution Caused by Solid Waste was amended to impose stricter liabilities on enterprises that produce solid waste. The National Catalogue of Hazardous Wastes was also amended and the new version became effective on January 1, 2021, which detailed and reclassified some hazardous wastes. As we generate solid waste during our production process, we may incur higher costs to comply with the requirements under the amended law. The Administrative Measures for the List of Key Entities Subject to Environmental Supervision became effective on January 1, 2023, which required the provincial and municipal government to formulate a list of key entities in accordance with the standards provided in this administrative regulation and such key entities shall be subject to strict environmental supervision. As we generate solid waste during our production process, some of our subsidiaries may be identified on such list of key entities. Further, our overseas expansion projects are subject to foreign environmental laws and regulations. Failure to comply with environmental laws and regulations may trigger a variety of administrative, civil and criminal enforcement measures, including the assessment of monetary penalties, the imposition of remedial requirements and the issuance of orders enjoining future operations, all of which may materially and adversely affect our business operations.

We are subject to administrative policies and orders relating to China’s energy-saving and emission reduction requirements that could adversely affect our production.

We are subject to administrative energy-saving and emission reduction policies and orders carried out by the central and provincial governments. For example, the MIIT issued the Standard Conditions for Aluminum Industry on July 18, 2013 and updated it on February 28, 2020, which set forth various standards for existing enterprises, including but not limited to standards for environmental protection, energy consumption, and utilization of resources. We cannot assure you that the relevant government authorities will not issue more stringent standards or rules, which may require us to incur additional costs or expenses to comply with these standards or rules, and our existing production may be delayed for facility upgrading or suspended before full compliance with these standards or rules. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process and enforcing judgments against us and our management, and the ability of U.S. authorities to bring actions in the PRC may also be limited.

Most of our assets and our subsidiaries are located in the PRC; most of our directors and officers reside within the PRC, and most of the assets of our directors and officers are located within the PRC. As a result, it may not be possible to effect service of process within the United States or elsewhere outside the PRC upon most of our directors or officers, including with respect to matters arising under applicable laws and regulations. Moreover, the PRC does not have treaties providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts with the United States, the United Kingdom or most other Western countries, and Hong Kong has no arrangement for the reciprocal enforcement of judgments with the United States.

As a result, recognition and enforcement in the PRC or Hong Kong of judgments of a court in the United States and any of the other jurisdictions mentioned above in relation to any matter not subject to a binding arbitration provision may be difficult or impossible. Even if you sue successfully in a U.S. court or any of the other jurisdictions mentioned above, you may not be able to collect on such judgment against us or our directors and officers. In addition, the SEC, the U.S. Department of Justice and other U.S. authorities may also have difficulties in bringing and enforcing actions against us or our directors or officers in the PRC. Furthermore, class action lawsuits, which are available in the United States for investors to seek remedies, are generally uncommon in the PRC.

Our business is vulnerable to downturns in the general economy and industries in which we operate or which we serve. A significant reduction in demand could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Demand for our products depends on the general economy and level of activity and growth in the industries where we operate or serve. Adverse development in economic and market conditions, such as a significant economic downturn or a downturn in the commodity sector or the financial markets, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and the price of our ordinary shares or ADSs. Development of the relevant industries is subject to various factors, including but not limited to market fluctuations of prices of commodities, general political or economic conditions, technology development, government regulations and investment plans and changes in domestic and global production capacity, many of which are beyond our control.

We are unable to predict cycles of the global and domestic economies. Concerns over inflation, energy costs, geopolitical issues, trade tensions, the availability and cost of credit, unemployment, consumer confidence, declining asset values, capital market volatility and liquidity issues have created difficult operating conditions for us in the past and may continue to do so in the future. For example, since 2018, there were continuing trade tensions between the U.S. and China, resulting in increased tariffs and escalating tensions between the two countries. On January 15, 2020, the two parties signed the China-U.S. phase-one economic and trade agreement. Since then, the PRC government and the U.S. government have granted tariff exemptions on certain goods. However, it is still unclear when future phase negotiations between the two countries will begin and whether there will be further trade agreements following such negotiations. It is also unclear if future disputes will occur or the two countries will be able to negotiate the issues to restore a mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation. Future actions or escalations by either the U.S. government or the PRC government could have a material adverse effect on the business environment in general, global, Chinese and/or U.S. economic conditions and the stability of global, Chinese and/or U.S. financial markets, which in turn, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, on November 12, 2020, the President of the United States signed Executive Order 13959 (as subsequently amended on January 13, 2021 and June 3, 2021, the “Executive Order”), which prohibits certain transactions in securities of certain entities listed in the annex to the Executive Order (each, a “Restricted Entity”). Currently, neither we nor Chinalco are on the list of Restricted Entities. However, if the Executive Order is further amended, or the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury exercised its power pursuant to the Executive Order, to include us or Chinalco as a Restricted Entity in the future, U.S. persons as defined under the Executive Order may be prohibited from purchasing our securities. As a result, the value and liquidity of our ADSs may be materially and adversely affected, which may lead to significant volatility in our ADS trading price.price on the OTC Market. Furthermore, the PRC government has, from time to time, adjusted its monetary, fiscal and other policies and measures to manage the rate of growth of the economy or the overheating and overcapacity in certain industries or markets. In addition, the global outbreak

As a result of COVID-19 and the efforts to contain it have negatively impacted the global economy and financial markets. For further details of the impact of outbreak of COVID-19 on the general economy, please refer to “– Our business may be materially and adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The global economy began to recover from the COVID-19-induced recession in 2021 and the commodities market had an unparalleled growth. Due to the recovery of demand for aluminum globally and the short supply of aluminum caused by the energy crisis in 2021,Europe due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the average spot price of alumina on the Australian FOB increased by 21.8%9.7% to US$331363 per tonne and the average international cash price for primary aluminum on the LME increased by 45.5%9.0% to US$2,4802,703 per tonne.tonne in 2022. During the same period, the average spot price of alumina in the domestic market increased to RMB2,798RMB2,945 per tonne, representing an increase of 19.7%5.3% compared to 2020.2021. Although the overall trend of the industries we are in was upward in 2021,2022, there is no assurance that there will not be any further and significant fluctuations, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Recently, theThe Russia-Ukraine military conflict has caused, and continues to intensify, significant geopolitical tensions in Europe and across the world. The resulting economic sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, the UK and other countries may continue to significantly impact supply chains, lead to market disruptions including significant volatility in commodities’ prices, and bring heightened near-term uncertainty to the global financial system. Escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict could lead to other additional impacts which may adversely affect our business, such as disruption of international trade flows, extreme market pricing volatility, with particular impact on the energy sector, industrial supply chains, shipping, and regulatory and contractual uncertainty, and increased geopolitical tensions around the world. These factors could disrupt the global markets in ways that are difficult to predict and estimate in advance as to their potential impact on our business, financial position, or operational results.

As a result of the foregoing, the global and domestic economic conditions or any particular industry in which we operate or which we serve may grow at a lower-than-expected rate or even experience a downturn. Uncertainty about future economic conditions makes it challenging for us to forecast our results of operations, make business decisions and identify risks that may affect our business. If we are not able to timely and appropriately adapt to changes resulting from the difficult macroeconomic environment, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Volatility in the prices of alumina, primary aluminum, other non-ferrous metal and other commodities may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The prices of the products we produce and trade, including alumina, primary aluminum, other non-ferrous metal and coal products, have experienced significant fluctuation historically and are expected to continually fluctuate in response to general economic conditions, supply and demand, the level of inventories, interruption caused by unforeseen international or domestic events such as global outbreak of COVID-19, uncertainty of or changes in domestic or foreign laws or policies and many other factors, which are beyond our control.

We price our alumina and primary aluminum products by reference to international and domestic market prices, and domestic supply and demand, each of which may fluctuate beyond our control. We may not be able to effectively respond to a sudden fluctuation in alumina or primary aluminum prices. For example, due to the recovery of demand for aluminum globally, in 2021, the average spot price of alumina on the Australian FOB increased by 21.8% to US$331 per tonne and the average international cash price for primary aluminum on the LME increased by 45.5% to US$2,480 per tonne. During the same period, the average spot price of alumina in the domestic market increased to RMB2,798 per tonne, representing an increase of 19.7% compared to 2020, and the average spot prices of primary aluminum at SHFE increased by 34.2% to RMB18,953 per tonne. In 2021,2022, the average external selling prices for our self-produced alumina and primary aluminum, regardless whether the sales were recognized in our trading segment, were RMB2,785RMB3,025 per tonne and RMB19,099RMB19,639 per tonne, respectively, representing an increase by 13.4%7.1% and 34.8%2.8%, respectively, as compared to the prices in 2020.2021. Nevertheless, the prices of alumina and primary aluminum may decline due to, among other things, decrease in market demand of those products and any slowdown of economic growth in China. Because our prices are affected by a variety of factors, most of which are beyond our control, we may not be able to respond promptly to the fluctuation in alumina or primary aluminum prices in international market or domestic market. There is no assurance that there will not be any further and significant fluctuations in prices of our key products, including alumina and primary aluminum, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, since our profit margin for trading non-ferrous metal products and coal products is based on price fluctuations in the short term, we need to make the correct prediction of the price fluctuations of these commodities on the markets to maintain our profit margin. If market price fluctuations on the market do not match our prediction, we may incur substantial losses.

In addition, as we generate profit from the differences between the purchase and sales prices of the non-ferrous metal products and the coal products we deal in, significant fluctuations in these prices may cause the value of the outsourced products in transit or in inventory to decline, and if the carrying value of our existing inventories exceeds the market price in the future periods, we may need to make additional provisions for our inventories’ value, which may have a material and adverse effect on our profit level and other financial performance. See Note 13 to our audited consolidated financial statements for information about our inventories. As a result, any significant fluctuation in market prices for these commodities could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business requires substantial capital expenditures that we may not always be able to obtain at reasonable costs and on acceptable terms.

Our plans to upgrade and expand our production capacity will require substantial capital expenditures. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2021,2022, our total capital expenditures were approximately RMB11.8RMB9.9 billion, RMB4.6RMB6.4 billion and RMB4.7RMB4.8 billion, respectively. We expect our estimated capital expenditures in 20222023 to be a total of approximately RMB6.8RMB14.4 billion. See “Item 4. Information on the Company – D. Property, Plants and Equipment – Our Expansion” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects – B. Liquidity and Capital Resources – Capital Expenditures and Capital Commitments” for details of our expansion and capital expenditures. We may also need additional funding for debt servicing, working capital, other investments, potential acquisitions and joint ventures and other corporate requirements.

We may need to seek external financing, such as bank and other loans as well as bond offerings, to satisfy our capital needs if cash generated from our operations is insufficient to fund our capital expenditures or if our actual capital expenditures and investments exceed our plans. Our ability to obtain external financing at reasonable costs and on acceptable terms is subject to a variety of factors, such as our credit ratings, financial market conditions and our past or projected financial performance. Although we have been profitable in recent years, we cannot guarantee that we will not incur losses in the future, in which case the rating agencies may downgrade our credit ratings. In addition, if financial markets experience significant volatility and disruption, it may result in a decrease in the availability of liquidity and credit for borrowers and increase in interest rate or other financing cost. Failure to obtain sufficient funding at reasonable costs and on acceptable terms for our development plans could delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate future activities or growth initiatives and adversely affect our business and prospects.

With the implementation of the policy of “carbon dioxide peaking and carbon neutrality,” a series of policies have been introduced to control both the total amount and intensity of energy consumption and restrict the energy-intensive and high-emission industries, resulting in drastic market fluctuations and a sharp increase in production costs. A seriessupply shortage of stringent measures such as electricity consumption restrictioncoal and production restriction and restriction on approval of projects have been adoptedthe drought in various regions, resulting2022 resulted in large-scale production reduction in the industry,certain areas, which led to a shortage of supply of electricity in the second half of 2022. The instability of supply of electricity and water aggravated the uncertainty of new or resumed production capacity in the second half of 2021.near future. We cannot assure you that our production capacity will not be further affected by such policies, the occurrence of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, interruptions in the supply of electricity can result in costly production shutdowns, increased costs associated with restarting production and the waste of production in progress. A sudden loss of electricity, if prolonged, can cause damage to or the destruction of production equipment and facilities. In such an event, we may need to expend significant capital and resources to repair or replace the affected production equipment to restore our production capacity. In the past, various regions across China experienced shortages and disruptions in electricity supply, especially during peak demand summer season or under severe weather conditions. For instance, certain subsidiaries of our Company were affected by electricity shortage due to electricity consumption restriction in the second and third quarters of 2021 and the suspended production volume reached a maximum of 3% of our total production capacity in October and November 2021. We cannot assure you that our operations will not suffer from shortages or disruptions in electricity supply, the occurrence of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operations consume substantial amounts of coal, and our operations may be adversely affected if we are not able to procure sufficient coal or if coal prices rise significantly.

We rely heavily on coal as our energy and fuel source in our operations. As we increase our alumina refining capacity, our consumption of coal will increase accordingly. If we are not able to obtain the amount of coal needed for our production due to a shortage of coal, constraints on coal transportation or any other reason, we may be forced to reduce our production output or suspend our alumina refining operations, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Although we have acquired equity interest in a number of coal mines, we expect to continue to rely substantially on third-party coal suppliers for the supply of coal. Our average purchase price per unit tonne of thermal coal increased by approximately 52.4%13.9% in 20212022 from the level in 2020.2021. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects – A. Operating Results – Overview – Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations – Manufacturing Costs.” ThereHowever, there is no assurance that the coal prices will not further increase or fluctuate. If we are unable to pass on increases or otherwise significant fluctuations in coal prices to our customers or offset price increases through productivity improvements, our operating margin, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our business and industry may be affected by the development of alternative energy sources and climate change.

Our operations consume substantial amounts of coal, the combustion of which generates significant greenhouse gas and other pollutants, and negatively contributes to climate change. A number of governments or governmental bodies have introduced or are contemplating legislative and regulatory changes in response to the potential impacts of climate change. These regulatory mechanisms may impact our operations directly or indirectly through our customers or supply chain. For example, the deepening of supply-side structural reform and the policy of “carbon dioxide peaking and carbon neutrality” have urged the industry in which we operate to optimize the energy consumption structure, reduce energy consumption, and develop deep-processing products with high added values. We may have to increase our capital expenditures in order to comply with such revised or new legislation or regulations, and changeswhich may lead to higher costs of our products. Changes to our profit or loss may occur due to increased or decreased demand for our products and indirectly due to changes in costs of goods sold, which may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, we have invested in coal mining operations. Although revenues attributable to our energy segment accounted for only approximately 2.8%3.1% of our total revenues in 20212022 (after elimination of inter-segment sales), we might still be affected by any change on the PRC thermal power industry, which have relied on coal as main source of fuel. The PRC thermal power industry may be affected by the development of alternative energy sources, climate change and global environmental factors. In particular, pursuant to the environmental protection goal set in China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, the PRC government plans to continue to encourage the development of new energy sources from 2021 to 2025. As one of the PRC government’s measures for encouraging utilizing new energy, on August 15, 2022, the NDRC, the National Bureau of Statistics, and the National Energy Administration issued the Notice on Further Improving the Relevant Work Concerning New Renewable Energy Consumption Not Included in the Total Energy Consumption Control, which provides that renewable energy sources, such as wind power, solar power, hydropower, are not included in the total energy consumption of the enterprises. As such, alternative energy industries may rapidly develop and gradually gain mainstream acceptance in the PRC and the rest of the world. If alternative energy technologies continue to develop and prove suitable for wide commercial application in the PRC and overseas, demand for conventional energy sources, such as coal, could be reduced. Such reduction in demand for coal could have a material adverse effect on the coal mining industry and, consequently, negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may not be able to continue competing successfully in the markets in which we operate.

In 2021,2022, we supplied approximately 43.8%70% of our total production of alumina to our own smelters and sold substantially all of the remaining self-produced alumina and all of our self-produced primary aluminum to our domestic customers. Our alumina (with(excluding chemical alumina products included)products) and primary aluminum production represented approximately 23.6%22% and 10.1%17%, respectively, of total domestic production in China in 2021.2022. We face competition from both domestic and international alumina and primary aluminum producers. Our principal competitors are major domestic refineries and smelters. These producers compete with our alumina and primary aluminum operations on the basis of product cost, quality and pricing. In addition, we face increasing competition from international alumina and primary aluminum suppliers as a result of the elimination of tariffs on imports of primary aluminum and alumina into China. See “Item 4. Information on the Company – B. Business Overview – Competition” for further details.

Increasing competition in our product markets may reduce our selling prices or sales volumes, which will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. If we are unable to price our products competitively, maintain or increase our current share of China’s alumina and primary aluminum markets or otherwise maintain our competitiveness, our financial condition, results of operations and profitability could be materially and adversely affected.

Our overseas expansion exposes us to political and economic risks, commercial instability and events beyond our control in the countries in which we plan to operate.

We have overseas projects from time to time. For example, in 2020, we completed the construction of the Boffa Project, a project for the construction and development of a bauxite mine located in Boffa, Guinea. Although the Boffa Project has been completed and put into production, due to uncertainties involved in the overseas projects, we cannot assure you that all of our overseas expansion or investments will be successful or that we will not suffer foreign exchange losses in connection with our overseas investment.

In addition, operations in the overseas markets may also expose us to a number of risks including expropriation and nationalization of our assets in foreign countries, civil unrest, acts of terrorism, war, or other armed conflict; shortages of construction equipment and materials; severe weather conditions; social security, public health and safety, labors and construction safety and similar issues; epidemic diseases and infectious diseases; natural disasters; inflation; currency fluctuations, devaluations and conversion restrictions; confiscatory taxation or other adverse tax policies, governmental activities that limit or disrupt markets, restrict payments or limit the movement of funds, governmental activities that may result in the deprivation of contractual rights; lack of a well-developed legal system that makes it difficult to enforce our contractual rights; uncertainties in laws and policies; and governmental activities that may result in the inability to obtain or retain licenses required for operations. For example, in September 2021, President of Guinea was captured by the country’s armed forces in a coup. While our Boffa Project has not been materially impacted as of the date of this annual report, we cannot assure you that it will not be adversely affected given the fluid situation in Guinea.

Our profitability and operations could be adversely affected if we are unable to obtain a steady supply of raw materials at competitive prices.

Historically, the price for bauxite, our most important raw material for alumina production, has been volatile. We obtain bauxite for our operations from our mines and external suppliers. See “Item 4. Information on the Company – B. Business Overview – Raw Materials – Alumina – Supply.” The extents to which we procure bauxite from each of these sources affect the security of our supply or cost of bauxite. The supply of bauxite could be affected by various factors, including geographic conditions of bauxite mines, government policies, market prices and competition, many of which are beyond our control. We rely on overseas suppliers to obtain a portion of bauxite we use for production. Indonesia used to be a major source of our imported bauxite. As a result of the ban imposed by the Indonesia Government on the exportation of unprocessed bauxite and nickel, since January 2014, we have not been able to import bauxite from Indonesia for the use of our alumina refineries in China, and our operation of bauxite mining in Indonesia has been suspended since September 2014. See “Item 4. Information on the Company – B. Business Overview – Our Mines” for more details of our bauxite mines in Indonesia. If we exhaust our stockpiles or our procurement of bauxite from external suppliers is interrupted for any reasons, and cannot find an alternative source of bauxite at competitive prices, our financial condition, results of operations and profitability could be adversely affected.

In addition, our results of operations can be affected by increases in the cost of other raw materials and other key inputs such as energy. If we cannot obtain a steady supply of key raw materials at competitive prices, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Any transportation interruption or any material increase in our transportation costs could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operations require the reliable transportation of raw materials and supplies to our refining and smelting sites and finished products to our customers. Our alumina and primary aluminum products are mainly transported by rail and trucks. There is no assurance that we can always enjoy sufficient transportation capacity or we will not experience transportation interruption in the future. Furthermore, natural disasters, severe weather conditions and outbreak of epidemic diseases and infectious diseases may cause interruption to the transportation system, which could in turn affect the transportation of our products. Please refer to “– Our business may be materially and adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic” for further details of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the transportation system. In addition, any changes in fuel prices or fuel supply may be unpredictable and beyond our control. There is no assurance that shortage of fuel will not occur in the future. Any surge in fuel prices or shortage of fuel supply may lead to increases in our operation and transportation costs. If we are unable to make timely deliveries due to logistical and transportation disruptions, or transfer the increased costs to our customers, our production, reputation and results of operations may be adversely affected.

Estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources are uncertain and the volume and grade of minerals actually extracted may vary from our estimates.

Our estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources have been prepared in accordance with the disclosure requirements of Subpart 1300 of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation S-K (“Regulation S-K 1300”). Compliance with Regulation S-K 1300 may be subject to varying interpretations in some cases due to their lack of specificity, which could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and substantial costs associated with compliance.

There are numerous uncertainties inherent in mineral estimates. Such estimates are, to a large extent, based on assumed prices for the commodities we produce, primarily bauxite and coal, and interpretations of geologic data obtained from drill holes and other exploration techniques, which may not necessarily be indicative of future results. Our mineral estimates are based on the latest available geological and geotechnical studies. We conduct ongoing studies of our mining properties to optimize economic values and to manage risk. Valid estimates made at a given time may significantly change when new information becomes available.

Estimates of mineral reserves, or the cost at which we anticipate the mineral reserves will be recovered, are based on assumptions, such as prices of alumina, aluminum and coal and other economic inputs. Changes to such assumptions may require revisions to reserve estimates which could affect our asset carrying values and may also negatively impact our future financial condition and results. We revise our mine plans and estimates of recoverable proven and probable mineral reserves as required in accordance with the latest available studies. Until mineral reserves are actually mined and processed, the quantity of minerals and grades must be considered as an estimate only.

Additionally, the term “mineral resources” does not indicate recoverable proven and probable mineral reserves as defined by Regulation S-K 1300. Estimates of mineral resources are subject to further exploration and evaluation of development and operating costs, grades, recoveries and other material factors, and, therefore, are subject to considerable uncertainty. Certain mineral resources may not meet the threshold for mineral reserve modifying factors, such as engineering, legal and/or economic feasibility, that would allow for the conversion to mineral reserves. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the estimated mineral resources not included in mineral reserves will become recoverable proven and probable mineral reserves.

The estimation of mineral resources and reserves is a subjective process that is partially dependent upon the judgment of the qualified person preparing such estimates. The process relies on the quantity and quality of available data and is based on knowledge, mining experience, statistical analysis of drilling results and industry practices. If the market prices for the commodities we produce decline from assumed levels, if production costs increase or recovery rates decrease, or if applicable laws and regulations are adversely changed, we can offer no assurance that the mineral reserves can be mined or processed profitably. If we determine that certain of our estimated recoverable proven and probable mineral reserves have become uneconomic, this may ultimately lead to a reduction in our aggregate reported mineral reserves, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our previous adjustments of our business segments and historical results may not be indicative of our future prospects.

In 2013, we entered into a new business segment, the energy segment, through acquisition of Ningxia Energy. In the past few years, we have streamlined our existing business to focus on the productions of alumina and primary aluminum. For instance, in December 2018, we acquired 50% equity interests in Shanxi Huaxing through the Shanghai United Assets and Equity Exchange at a price of approximately RMB2,665.2 million from Baotou Transportation Investment Group Co., Ltd. Upon completion of the acquisition, Shanxi Huaxing became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The acquisition is conducted for purposes of enhancing our profitability and is in line with our strategic layout of alumina and aluminum business, as the increase of our shareholding in Shanxi Huaxing, an alumina plant, is expected to enhance the synergy with our primary aluminum production in Shanxi, where we have newly added production capacity of primary aluminum.

There is no assurance that we will enter into a new business segment or continue to streamline our existing business as we have done so in the past. Moreover, we cannot assure you that the benefit of entering into a new business segment or streamlining our existing business will be fully realized as expected or at all.

While ourOur revenue increaseddecreased by 45.0%2.64% from RMB185,990.6RMB298,885.4 million in 20202021 to RMB269,748.2RMB290,987.9 million in 2021,2022, primarily due to the year-on-year increasedecrease in the pricesrevenue of alumina and electrolytic aluminum, thetrading business. The financial performance was driven by a wide range of factors, many of which are out of our control or may not be sustainable or indicative of future growth or performance, such as the prices of our products and raw materials. As a result, our historical results may not be indicative of our future prospects and results of operations.

Our failure to successfully manage our business expansion, including our expansion into new areas of business, would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and prospects.

We have made investments in business expansion in line with our development strategy through organic growth, acquisitions and joint ventures. In addition, we may, from time to time and when we deem appropriate, expand into new industries which we believe have synergies with our existing operations.

Our expansion has created, and will continue to place, substantial demand on our resources. Managing our growth and integrating the acquired businesses will require us to, among other things:

Any significant difficulty in meeting the foregoing or similar requirements could delay or otherwise constrain our ability to implement our expansion plans, or result in failure to achieve the expected benefits of the combination or acquisition or write-offs of acquired assets or investments, which in turn would limit our ability to increase operational efficiency, reduce marginal manufacturing costs or otherwise strengthen our market position. Failure to obtain the intended economic benefits from the business expansion could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, we may also experience mixed results from our expansion plans in the short term.

Furthermore, there is no assurance that we will be able to identify attractive acquisition targets, obtain favorable deal terms in any acquisition, secure applicable governmental approvals for any proposed investments, accurately estimate the mineral resources and reserves of these acquisition targets or obtain the necessary funding to complete such acquisitions on commercially acceptable terms or at all. Acquisitions may result in the incurrence and inheritance of debts and other liabilities, assumption of potential legal liabilities in respect of the acquired businesses, and incurrence of impairment charges related to goodwill and other intangible assets, any of which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. In particular, if any of the acquired businesses fail to perform as we expect, we may be required to recognize a significant impairment charge, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. As a result, there can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve the strategic purpose of any acquisition, the desired level of operational integration or our investment return target.

Our joint ventures and strategic investments may not be successful.

We may from time to time enter into joint ventures or make strategic investments to grow our business and operations. For example, we have participated in joint ventures and strategic investments in coal mining, in line with our development strategy to diversify and optimize our product offering and partially offset our future energy costs. In addition, we have acted as joint venture partner or strategic investor in certain projects which engage in primary aluminum and aluminum alloy manufacturing to diversify our product offering, strategically position ourselves along the industrial chain and facilitate our enterprise transformation and upgrade. If our joint ventures, strategic investments or other investments experience fluctuation in performance or incur losses, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. For further details of certain of our joint ventures and strategic investments, please see “Item 4. Information on the Company – A. History and Development of the Company” and “Item 4. Information on the Company – D. Property, Plants and Equipment – Our Expansion.”

In addition, our joint ventures and subsidiaries which operate coal mines have been facing increasing uncertainties. While theThe coal price rose rapidly in the first three quarters of 2021 due to short supply, it then declined toremained at a reasonable range in November 2021high level due to the policy adjustment and increasetight supply of coal supply. Ifduring 2022. However, if coal price further decreases in the future, the business, financial condition and results of operations of these joint ventures which operate coal mines may be adversely affected.

We may be required to record impairment charges in the future.

If business conditions deteriorate, long-lived assets need to be reviewed for possible impairment. Impairment loss needs to be recognized to the extent that the carrying amount exceeds the recoverable amount. In 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2021,2022, we recorded impairment loss of property, plant and equipment of RMB259.4RMB681.3 million, RMB416.8RMB4,064.7 million and RMB2,328.1RMB3,795.4 million, respectively. In addition, we made net credit impairment of receivables of RMB171.0RMB967.9 million, RMB979.2RMB1,390.8 million and RMB1,384.9RMB414.1 million in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2021.2022. We cannot guarantee that we will not incur any impairment loss or our impairment loss will not increase in the future due to various reasons including, but not limited to, strategic decisions made in response to changes in economic and competitive conditions, the impact of the economic environment on our customer base and material adverse changes in our relationship with significant customers. If we record significant impairment charges, our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our mining operations have limited mine lives and eventual closure of these operations will entail costs and risks regarding ongoing monitoring, rehabilitation and compliance with environmental standards.

Our existing mining operations in the PRC and overseas have limited mine lives and will eventually be depleted. We need to perform certain procedures to remedy and rehabilitate the environmental and social impact that our mining operations have had on local communities and the environment. Remediation, rehabilitation, closure and removal of our facilities will incur various costs and are subject to various risks. The key costs and risks for mine closures include, among others, (i) long-term management of permanent engineered structures and acid rock drainage; (ii) closure in accordance with local or international environmental standards; (iii) orderly retrenchment of employees and third-party contractors; and (iv) orderly transfer of the site, its associated permanent structures and community development infrastructure and programs to new owners. There is no assurance that such closure of mines will be successful and without delays or additional costs, in which case we may be subject to increased costs, penalties or other legal or administrative actions, damages to reputation, or even suspension and cancellation of mining permits, the occurrence of which would cause a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have relied, and expect to continue to rely, on both short-term and long-term borrowings to fund a significant portion of our capital requirements. As of December 31, 2021,2022, we had approximately RMB24,506.1RMB27,859.4 million in outstanding short-term bonds and short-term bank borrowings (including the current portion of long-term bank and other borrowings) and RMB64,095.9RMB58,596.8 million in outstanding long- and medium-term bonds and long-term bank and other borrowings (excluding the current portion of these borrowings). On March 22, 2022,21, 2023, subject to approval at our 20212022 annual general meeting that is expected to be held in 2022,2023, our Board approved to authorize the issuance of debt financing instruments and bonds in the PRC (including various issued domestic bonds) and overseas bonds with an aggregate outstanding balance of all bonds not exceeding RMB50RMB30 billion, the term of which authorizations will commence on the date of approval at our 20212022 annual general meeting and close upon the conclusion of our 20222023 annual general meeting.Although we have been managing our debt and assets with the goal of maintaining our debt at an appropriate level, there is no assurance that such efforts would be successful or the level of our debt will be further decreased.Please see Note 19 and Note 4421 to our audited consolidated financial statements for more detailed information about our borrowings and recent issuance of bonds and notes in 2022.borrowings. This level of debt could have significant consequences on our operations, including:

In addition, if these perpetual securities are categorized as debt due to changes of accounting standard or other reasons, or if we choose to redeem these perpetual securities, our total equity may be reduced, which may be adverse to our financial condition or the price of our ordinary shares or ADSs.

The interests of our controlling shareholder who exerts significant influence over us may conflict with ours.

As of December 31, 2021,2022, our largest shareholder, Chinalco, directly owned 29.67%29.43% of our issued share capital and indirectly owned an additional 2.49%2.47% of our issued share capital through its controlled entities. The interests of Chinalco may conflict or even compete with our interests and those of our public shareholders. Chinalco may take actions that are in the interest of its subsidiaries, associates and other related entities to our detriment. For example, Chinalco may seek to influence our decision as to the amount of dividends we declare and distribute. Any increase in our dividend payout would reduce funds otherwise available for reinvestment in our businesses and thus may adversely affect our future prospects and financial condition.

In addition, we enter into transactions with related parties, including Chinalco and its subsidiaries and associates, which provide a range of services to us, including engineering and construction services, social services, land and property leasing as well as the supply of raw and supplemental materials. See “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions – B. Related Party Transactions” for detailed information. It would be difficult to find an alternative source for some services that we receive from Chinalco. Our cost of operations may increase if Chinalco, its subsidiaries and associates are unable to continue providing such services to us.

In January 2019, Yunnan SASAC transferred its 51% equity interest in Yunnan Metallurgical Group Co., Ltd. to China Copper, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinalco, with no consideration. As Yunnan Aluminum, an affiliated company of Yunnan Metallurgical Group Co., Ltd., competes with us in the business segments of alumina and primary aluminum, Chinalco, as the indirect controlling shareholder of Yunnan Aluminum and our direct controlling shareholder, issued a letter of undertakings on non-competition to us, according to which Chinalco undertook to start in 2019 planning the integration of the businesses in which Yunnan Aluminum and we compete with each other, and address such business competition within five years. In July 2022, we entered into a shares transfer agreement and agreed to acquire shares representing approximately 19% of the total issued share capital of Yunnan Aluminum. The shares transfer was completed in November 2022 and we currently hold 29.10% of the total issued share capital of Yunnan Aluminum. The financial results of Yunnan Aluminum have been consolidated into the financial statements of our Company. The aforesaid transaction has resolved the competition between Chinalco and our Group. However, the competition between our Group and Yunnan Aluminum has not been fully resolved. In light of this, our Company issued a letter of undertakings on non-competition to Yunnan Aluminum, according to which our Company undertook to appropriately resolve the issue of horizontal competition with Yunnan Aluminum within five years from 2019. For further details, please see “Item 4. Information on the Company – A. History and Development of the Company.” While we intend to closely monitor Chinalco’s planning and implementation of such business integration and make timely public disclosure about significant progress made, due to the uncertainties involved in such business integration, however, we cannot assure you that business competition between Yunnan Aluminum and us would be addressed without undue delays or at all, or the plan of such business integration or the implementation thereof would be viewed by you or other investors as most favorable to us or our shareholders.

Changes in facts and circumstances may adversely affect our ability to exercise control over Yunnan Aluminum.

Although we own shares representing 29.10% of total issued share capital at Yunnan Aluminum, we concluded that we exercise “de facto control” based on the following facts: (i) the percentage and concentration of our voting rights, (ii) the record of attendance to Shareholders’ Meetings and the record of votes cast by the other shareholders; and (iii) the effective control exercised by us to direct Yunnan Aluminum’s relevant activities.

As some of these facts are out of our control, a change in the fact pattern that we assessed might derive in a loss of control over Yunnan Aluminum, leading to deconsolidation from an accounting perspective.

We are subject to, and incur costs to comply with, environmental laws and regulations.

As we produce air emissions, discharge waste water, and handle hazardous substances at our bauxite mines, alumina refineries and primary aluminum smelters, we are subject to, and incur costs to comply with, environmental laws and regulations.

Given the magnitude, complexity and continuous amendments to these laws and regulations, compliance therewith may be onerousAny catastrophe, including outbreaks of health pandemics, accidents, natural disasters or may involve substantial financial and other resources to establish efficient compliance and monitoring systems. The liabilities, costs, obligations and requirements associated with these laws and regulations may therefore be substantial and may delay the commencement of, or cause interruptions to, our operations. Non-compliance with the relevant laws and regulations applicable to our operations may even result in substantial penalties or fines, suspension or revocation of our relevant licenses or permits, termination of government contracts or suspension of our operations. For example, relevant supervision authorities released a public notification of the dust, noise, relocation and other issues of Baotou Aluminum in 2020. In response to this notification, the Company and Baotou Aluminum attached great importance to the issues involved, analyzed the issues, and communicated with local governments and local residents proactively. As of the end of 2020, a majority of the issues involved have been rectified, dust and noise pollution have been effectively controlled, and the relocation of residents has been progressing smoothly under the organization of the local government. In 2021, Baotou Aluminum completed the project of “transformation from shipment by truck to shipment by rail,” established relevant facilities to reduce the dust and noise and engaged expert to analyze status of environmental governance and protection. However, as the environmental protection standards and requirements may be further enhanced, we cannot assure you that the similarextraordinary events, would not occur in the future, if such incidents were to occur, it could impact our operating results, financial condition and reputation, all of which could adversely affect our profitability and ability to retain existing customers and to attract new customers.

In addition, the environmental laws and regulations in the PRC and other jurisdictions in which we operate continue to evolve. As a result, we may incur significant additional costs if relevant laws and regulations change or enforcement of existing laws and regulations becomes more rigorous. For instance, in April 2020, the Law on Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution Caused by Solid Waste was amended to impose stricter liabilities on enterprises that produce solid waste. The National Catalogue of Hazardous Wastes was also amended and the new version became effective on January 1, 2021, which detailed and reclassified some hazardous wastes. As we generate solid waste during our production process, we may incur higher costs to comply with the requirements under the amended law. Since 2017, the PRC government has carried out regulations and comprehensive campaigns to control air pollution in response to the poor air quality in autumn and winter in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and their surrounding areas and the Fenhe and Weihe plain, pursuant to which we may reduce output of our relevant plants from time to time. Further, our overseas expansion projects are subject to foreign environmental laws and regulations. Failure to comply with environmental laws and regulations may trigger a variety of administrative, civil and criminal enforcement measures, including the assessment of monetary penalties, the imposition of remedial requirements and the issuance of orders enjoining future operations, all of which may materially and adversely affectdisrupt our business operations.

We are subject to administrative policiesoperations and orders relating to China’s energy-saving and emission reduction requirements that could adversely affect our production.

We are subject to administrative energy-saving and emission reduction policies and orders carried out by the central and provincial governments. The MIIT issued the Standard Conditions for Aluminum Industry on July 18, 2013 and updated it on February 28, 2020, which set forth various standards for existing enterprises, including but not limited to standards for environmental protection, energy consumption, and utilization of resources. We cannot assure you that the relevant government authorities will not issue more stringent standards or rules, which may require us to incur additional costs or expenses to comply with these standards or rules, and our existing production may be delayed for facility upgrading or suspended before full compliance with these standards or rules. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have ana materially adverse effectimpact on our business and results of operationsoperations.

In recent years, there have been outbreaks of health epidemics in China and globally, including the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as efforts to contain it, has caused significant economic and financial condition.

Wedisruptions around the world, including disruption on manufacturing operations, logistics and global supply chains and significant volatility and disruption of financial markets. Our business could continue to be adversely affected by the effects of health pandemics or epidemics, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other recent outbreaks of diseases, such influenza A, avian influenza, and severe acute respiratory syndrome, which may, among other things, exacerbate turbulence in commodity market, discourage or disrupt investment and production, increase total inventories of primary aluminum or other products in the industry, bring more uncertainty to the consumption of aluminum-made products and the prices of primary aluminum and alumina, and cause other adverse impacts on the industry we are subject to accidents and natural disasters that may adversely affect our performance.in.

We may also experience accidents and natural disasters in the course of our operations, which may cause significant property damage and personal injuries. Significant accidents and natural disasters may cause interruptions to our operations or result in property or environmental damage, increase in operating expenses or loss of revenues. The occurrence of accidents, natural disasters and the resulting consequences may not be covered adequately, or at all, by the insurance policies we carry. Losses or payments incurred by us as a result of major accidents or natural disasters may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We are subject to litigation risks.

In the ordinary course of business, claims involving project owners, customers, suppliers and subcontractors may be brought against us and by us in connection with our operations. If we were found to be liable on any of the claims, we would have to incur a charge against earnings to the extent a reserve had not been established for the matter in our accounts, or to the extent the claims were not sufficiently covered by our insurance coverage. Both claims brought against us and by us, if not resolved through negotiations, are often subject to lengthy and expensive litigation or arbitration proceedings, and claims against us may also result in freeze of or restrictions on our bank deposits or other assets during such lengthy legal proceedings. Charges associated with claims brought against us and write-downs associated with claims brought by us could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow. Moreover, legal proceedings resulting in judgments or findings against us may harm our reputation and damage our prospects for future contract or business awards.

Failure to hire and retain management executives and other qualified personnel could adversely affect our business and prospects.

The growth of our business operations depends on the continued services of our senior management team. The industry experience, expertise and contributions of our executives and other members of our senior management are essential to our continued success. We will require an increasing number of experienced and competent executives in the future to implement our growth plans. If we were to lose the services of any of our key management members and were unable to recruit and retain personnel with equivalent qualifications at any time, the management and growth of our business could be adversely affected.

Competition for qualified personnel in general is intense in the PRC and other markets where we operate. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to maintain an adequately skilled labor force necessary for us to execute our projects or to perform other corporate activities, nor can we guarantee that staff costs will not increase as a result of a shortage in the supply of skilled personnel. If we fail to attract and retain personnel with suitable managerial, technical or marketing expertise or maintain an adequate labor force on a continuous basis, our business operations could be adversely affected and our future growth and expansions may be inhibited.

Cyber attacks and security breaches may threaten the integrity of our intellectual property and other sensitive information and disrupt our business operations, which could adversely affect our reputation, business and financial position.

We face global cybersecurity threats, which may range from uncoordinated individual attempts to sophisticated and targeted measures directed at us. Cyber attacks and security breaches may include, but are not limited to, attempts to access information, computer viruses, denial of service and other electronic security breaches. Cyber attacks and security breaches may cause equipment failures, loss of information and limited access to systems. For manufacturing companies, cyber attacks and security breaches may result in the theft of sensitive data, including valuable technical and marketing information, disruptions to operations and breakdown of industrial control system. The economic costs to us to eliminate or alleviate cyber attacks and security breaches could be significantexpensive and may be difficult to estimate or calculate because the loss may differ based on the identity and motive of the programmer or hacker, which are often difficult to identify. Further, the perpetrators of cyber attacks and security breaches are not restricted to specific groups or persons. These attacks may be committed by company employees or external actors operating in any geography, including jurisdictions where law enforcement measures to address such attacks are unavailable or ineffective, and may even be launched by or at the behest of nation states. In addition, new and amended PRC regulatory requirements regarding network security and information protection have been adopted in recent years to further strengthen the regulation in those areas. In 2021, both Data Security Law and Personal Information Protection Law were promulgated and became effective. On September 1, 2022, the Measures for Data Export Security Assessment becomes effective. We may be required to devote significant resources to establishing and maintaining our compliance with such new or amended legislation or regulations.

By virtue of our transactions with parties outside the PRC, we will be subject to the risks normally associated with cross-border business transactions and activities. We will also be exposed to the risk of changes in social, legal, political and economic conditions in the foreign jurisdictions. In particular, unexpected changes in regulatory requirements, tariffs and other trade barriers and price or exchange controls could limit our operations and make the repatriation of profits difficult.

Our operations are affected by a number of risks relating to conducting business in the PRC.

As most of our assets and operations are located in the PRC, we are subject to a number of risks relating to conducting business in the PRC, including the following:

Private Placement of A Shares

On March 8, 2012, our Board resolved to issue up to 1.25 billion A Shares in the PRC. The A Share issue plans previously proposed by our Board on June 30, 2009 and January 30, 2011 and approved by our shareholders at the extraordinary general meeting, A Share class meeting and H Share class meeting held on August 24, 2009 and on April 14, 2011, respectively, ceased. Pursuant to the new issue plan approved by our Board on March 8, 2012, we planned to issue up to 1.25 billion A Shares, with a nominal value of RMB1.00 each, by way of private placement for expected proceeds not exceeding RMB8 billion. We intended to issue the A Shares to no more than ten specific target subscribers within six months of obtaining the approval of the CSRC. The issue price of A Shares to be offered shall be not less than 90% of the average trading price of our A Shares in 20 trading days immediately preceding the pricing determination date. We intended to apply proceeds from this private placement to finance Chalco Xing County Alumina Project, Zhongzhou branch Ore-dressing Bayer Process expansion construction project and to supplement working capital. The issue plan was approved by the SASAC on April 5, 2012 and by our shareholders at the extraordinary general meeting, A Share class meeting and H Share class meeting held on May 4, 2012. On August 24, 2012, our Board resolved to adjust the issue plan by proposing, among others, to increase the number of A Shares to be issued to up to 1.45 billion A Shares. The adjusted issue plan was approved by the SASAC and our shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting, A Share class meeting and the H Share class meeting on October 12, 2012 and by the CSRC on December 7, 2012. On March 14, 2013, we obtained the approval from the CSRC on our proposed private placement of A Shares under such adjusted issue plan, with effective period of six months after the approval date. However, the CSRC temporarily retrieved its approval in July 2013 due to its ongoing investigation of the sponsor of our proposed private placement of A Shares. The period of authorization to the Board relating to the adjusted issue plan was extended by our shareholders at the 2013 annual general meeting, A Share class meeting held on June 27, 2014 and H Share class meeting held on June 27, 2014, with an effective period of 12 months after the approval date. On January 4, 2015, we submitted the “Report regarding the resumption of the approval of non-public offering of shares of Aluminum Corporation of China Limited” to the CSRC. On April 24, 2015, we received the Approval in Relation to the Non-public Issuance of Shares by Aluminum Corporation of China Limited issued by the CSRC, pursuant to which we were approved to issue no more than 1,450,000,000 new shares. We completed the non-public issuance of A Shares on June 15, 2015 and issued an additional 1,379,310,344 A Shares pursuant to the specific mandate as approved at the annual general meeting of the Company on June 27, 2014. Upon completion, the total number of A Shares of the Company was increased from 13,524,487,892 to 14,903,798,236. Please refer to “– Subscription of Equity Interest of Certain Subsidiaries and Subsequent Issuance of Additional A Shares” and “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees - E. Share Ownership” for further changes of our issuance of A Shares.

In addition, we entered into an agreement with Northwest Aluminum Fabrication Plant, a subsidiary of Chinalco, on June 6, 2013 to dispose of all the assets of Northwest Aluminum for RMB1,659.6 million. Such consideration was determined based on negotiations between the parties, with reference to the appraised net asset value of Northwest Aluminum. Pursuant to the agreement, Northwest Aluminum Fabrication Plant agreed to pay the consideration in cash in five equal installments of RMB331.9 million, with the last installment, together with the relevant interests at the one-year lending rate set by the PBOC, to be paid by June 30, 2017. The disposal was approved at the 2012 annual general meeting held on June 27, 2013 and we completed the disposal on June 27, 2013. The payment was fully settled by Northwest Aluminum Fabrication Plant in accordance with the agreement.

Disposal of Assets of Alumina Production Line of Guizhou Branch

On June 6, 2013, we entered into an agreement with Guizhou Aluminum Plant, a subsidiary of Chinalco, to dispose of the assets of the alumina production line of our Guizhou branch for a consideration of RMB4,429.0 million. Such consideration was determined based on negotiations between the parties, with reference to the appraised net asset value of such alumina assets of our Guizhou branch. Pursuant to the agreement, Guizhou Aluminum Plant agreed to pay the consideration in cash in five equal installments of RMB885.8 million, with the last installment, together with the relevant interests at the one-year lending rate set by the PBOC, to be paid by June 30, 2017. The disposal was approved at the 2012 annual general meeting held on June 27, 2013 and we completed the disposal on June 27, 2013. The payment was fully settled by Guizhou Aluminum Plant in accordance with the agreement.

We decided to dispose of the assets of the alumina production line of Guizhou branch because the district in which they were located had been changed from an industrial district to a commercial district based on the local urban plan, which would significantly increase Guizhou branch’s environmental compliance costs. We built a new alumina refinery, Guizhou Huajin, in an area relatively close to major bauxite and coal mines in Guizhou Province, which commenced production with an annual capacity of 1.6 million tonnes of alumina in 2015.

On October 31, 2016, the Bond Issuer issued US$500 million senior perpetual securities (the “2016 Senior Perpetual Securities”) at a rate of 4.25%. The 2016 Senior Perpetual Securities are guaranteed by one of our subsidiaries, Chalco Hong Kong. The 2016 Senior Perpetual Securities also have the benefit of a keepwell deed entered into by the Bond Issuer, the Company, Chalco Hong Kong and the trustee. The 2016 Senior Perpetual Securities were listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on November 7, 2016. The net proceeds from the issue of the 2016 Senior Perpetual Securities were approximately RMB3,374 million and were on-lent to the Company or any of its subsidiaries for general corporate use. Coupon payments of 4.25% per annum on the 2016 Senior Perpetual Securities have been made semi-annually on April 29 and October 29 in arrears from November 7, 2016 and may be deferred at our discretion. The first coupon payment date was April 29, 2017. The 2016 Senior Perpetual Securities have no fixed maturity date and are callable only at our option on or after November 7, 2021 at their principal amounts together with any accrued, unpaid or deferred coupon distribution payments. We repaid the principal amounts together with any accrued, unpaid or deferred coupon distribution payments of the 2016 Senior Perpetual Securities on November 7, 2021.

On October 19, 2018, we issued RMB2,000 million perpetual medium-term notes with an initial distribution rate at 5.10% (the “2018 Perpetual Medium-term Notes”). The proceeds from the issuance were RMB2,000 million. The proceeds were used for the repayment of interest-bearing loans and borrowings. Coupon payments of 5.10% per annum on the 2018 Perpetual Medium-term Notes are made annually in arrears from October 19, 2018 and may be deferred at our discretion. The 2018 Perpetual Medium-term Notes have no fixed maturity date and are callable only at our option on October 23, 2021 or any coupon distribution date after October 23, 2021 at their principal amounts together with any accrued, unpaid or deferred coupon distribution payments. We repaid the principal amounts together with any accrued, unpaid or deferred coupon distribution payments of the 2018 Perpetual Medium-term Notes on October 23, 2021.

On September 20, 2022, the Company issued RMB1,000 million perpetual medium-term notes with an initial distribution rate at 2.68% (the “2022 Fourth Medium-term Notes”). The proceeds from the issuance of the 2022 Fourth Medium-term Notes were RMB1,000 million. The proceeds were used for the repayment of interest-bearing loans and borrowings. Coupon payments of 2.68% per annum on the 2022 Fourth Medium-term Notes have been made annually in arrears from September 20, 2022 and may be deferred at the discretion of the Company. The 2022 Fourth Medium-term Notes have no fixed maturity date and are callable only at the Group’s option on September 22, 2024 or any coupon distribution date after September 22, 2024 at their principal amounts together with any accrued, unpaid or deferred coupon distribution payments. The coupon distribution rate will be reset to a percentage per annum equal to the sum of (a) the initial spread of 0.59 percent, (b) the China Treasury Rate, and (c) a margin of maximum 300 Bps every two years since September 22, 2024. While any coupon distribution payments are unpaid or deferred, the Company cannot declare or pay dividends to shareholders or decrease the share capital, or make material fixed asset investments. As of December 31, 2022, no coupon distribution payments are unpaid or deferred.

Transfer of Equity Interest in Shanxi Huaxing

The Chalco Xing County Alumina Project, which was carried out by Shanxi Huaxing, commenced construction in May 2011 and undertook full operation in 2014. After completion of private placement of A Shares in June 2015, the Board resolved to replace the funds which have been invested by us in advance with the proceeds raised from the private placement of A Shares. In light of our strategic blueprint for the development of Shanxi aluminum recycle industrial park, we planned to introduce strategic investors for joint investment and cooperation to develop a new model of integrated coal, electricity and aluminum operations. In December 2015, we entered into an equity transfer agreement with Shenzhen CR Yuanta Asset Management Co., Ltd., a state-owned entity, to transfer 50% equity interests in Shanxi Huaxing, a wholly-owned subsidiary, through the Shanghai United Assets and Equity Exchange at a price of RMB2,351 million (the “2015 Equity Transfer Agreement”). The price was determined based on the appraisal value provided by an independent qualified appraisal company. According to the 2015 Equity Transfer Agreement, 30% of the consideration amounting to RMB705 million has been received by us in December 2015. In December 2016, Shenzhen CR Yuanta Asset Management Co., Ltd. transferred the 50% of equity interest in Shanxi Huaxing to Baotou Transportation Investment Group Co., Ltd. As agreed among Shenzhen CR Yuanta Asset Management Co., Ltd., Baotou Transportation Investment Group Co., Ltd. and the Company, Baotou Transportation Investment Group Co., Ltd., shall assume the payment obligation on the outstanding consideration of RMB1,646,035,160 payable by Shenzhen CR Yuanta Asset Management Co., Ltd. to the Company under the 2015 Equity Transfer Agreement and settle the outstanding consideration in full together with interest accrued thereon from January 1, 2017 to the date of payment before March 31, 2017. The payment was fully settled by Baotou Transportation Investment Group Co., Ltd. in March 2017.

In December 2018, we entered into an equity transfer agreement with Baotou Transportation Investment Group Co., Ltd., pursuant to which we agreed to acquire 50% equity interest in Shanxi Huaxing through the Shanghai United Assets and Equity Exchange at a price of approximately RMB2,665.2 million, which we paid in full in December 2018. Upon completion of the acquisition, Shanxi Huaxing became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The acquisition is conducted for the purpose of enhancing our profitability and is in line with our strategic layout of alumina and aluminum business, as the increase of our shareholding in Shanxi Huaxing, an alumina plant, is expected to enhance the synergy with our primary aluminum production in Shanxi, where we have newly added production capacity of primary aluminum.

Disposal of Certain Assets of Guizhou Branch

Guizhou branch entered into a land reserve acquisition cooperation agreement with the People’s Government of the Baiyun District of Guiyang, Guiyang Land Reserve Center, and Guizhou Aluminum Plant on November 13, 2015. As the land of Guizhou Aluminum Plant occupied by the primary aluminum plant of Guizhou branch shall be transferred to the respective land resources and reserve authorities, Guizhou branch sold the relevant assets, including buildings and structures located on the land occupied by the primary aluminum plant of Guizhou branch, to the Guiyang Land Reserve Center for a total consideration of RMB1.95 billion. The consideration was determined based on the asset appraisal conducted by an independent asset appraisal firm.

Disposal of the Environmental Protection Business

On May 30, 2016, the Board approved the transfer of the environmental protection assets in relation to the desulfurization, denitration and dedusting of the coal-fired generating units of five entities, namely Lanzhou branch, Baotou Aluminum, Shandong Huayu, Maliantai Power Station and Liupanshan Power Station of Ningxia Energy, by way of public bidding. On June 29, 2016, the assets transfer agreement in relation to disposal of the above environmental protection assets were entered into between Beijing Aluminum SPC Environment Protection Tech Co., Ltd., which had won the bid for the acquisition of the assets, and us. Pursuant to the asset transfer agreement, the aggregate consideration for the above environmental protection assets disposal was RMB1,754 million which was paid in two installments in June 2016 and December 2016, respectively.

We decided to dispose the environmental protection assets to reduce our capital investments and generate cash flows. We have been complying with the relevant standards of environmental protection through professional services rendered by specialized environmental protection companies.

Development of Gold Leasing Financing

On May 30, 2016, the Board resolved to develop gold leasing business to financing working capital. From 2016 to 2019, we have entered into several agreements with Bank of Communications Co., Ltd., China Everbright Bank and Agriculture Bank of China to finance working capital via gold leasing. We repaid the remaining gold leasing financing and did not enter into any new gold leasing agreement in 20202021 and 2021.2022.

Subscription of Equity Interest of Certain Subsidiaries and Subsequent Issuance of Additional A Shares (“Asset Restructuring”)

On December 4, 2017, we entered into certain investment and debt conversion agreements (the “Initial Agreements”) with Huarong Ruitong Equity Investment Management Co., Ltd. (“Huarong Ruitong”), China Life Insurance Company Limited (“China Life”), Shenzhen Zhaoping Chalco Investment Center LLP (“Zhaoping Investment”), China Pacific Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (“CPIC Life”), China Cinda Asset Management Co., Ltd. (“China Cinda”), BOC Financial Asset Investment Co., Ltd. (“BOC Financial”), ICBC Financial Asset Investment Co., Ltd. (“ICBC Financial”) and ABC Financial Asset Investment Company Limited (“ABC Financial”) (collectively, the “Restructuring Investors”). Pursuant to the Initial Agreements, Huarong Ruitong, China Life, Zhaoping Investment, CPIC Life, BOC Financial, ICBC Financial and ABC Financial have agreed to make cash contributions to our wholly-owned subsidiaries, Chalco Shandong, Zhongzhou Aluminum, Baotou Aluminum and Chalco Mining (collectively, the “Target Subsidiaries”), while the principal of loans owed by Chalco Mining to Huarong Ruitong, Zhaoping Investment, China Cinda and BOC Financial prior to signing of the Initial Agreements would be treated as capital contribution to Chalco Mining and converted into equity interest in Chalco Mining held by Huarong Ruitong, Zhaoping Investment, China Cinda and BOC Financial. The Restructuring Investors have agreed to acquire 30.80%, 36.90%, 25.67% and 81.14% of equity interest of Chalco Shandong, Zhongzhou Aluminum, Baotou Aluminum and Chalco Mining, respectively, with an aggregate capital contribution of approximately RMB12.6 billion. Under the Initial Agreements, we have also agreed to acquire equity interest held by the Restructuring Investors in the Target Subsidiaries with consideration in the form of our A Shares to be issued to the Restructuring Investors. On December 20, 2017, the Initial Agreements and the transactions contemplated thereunder were approved at our 2017 second extraordinary general meeting. In December 2017, the capital contribution to the Target Subsidiaries by the Restructuring Investors was completed in accordance with the terms of the Initial Agreements.

In accordance with the Mining Convention, a mining company (the “Mining Company”) and a port company (the “Port Company”) are established to act as the main operating bodies for mines construction and ports construction, respectively. In accordance with the Mining Convention, we own 85% and 95% equity interests in the Mining Company and the Port Company, respectively, while the Guinean government and its wholly-owned companies collectively own 15% and 5% equity interests in the Mining Company and the Port Company, respectively. Pursuant to the Mining Convention, Chalco Hong Kong shall grant the Guinean government and/or its wholly-owned companies an option to obtain additional equity interests in the Mining Company and grant Societe Guineenne de Patrimoine Minier, a company wholly-owned by the Guinean government, an option to obtain additional equity interests in the Port Company (together, the “Options”). If the Options are exercised in full, our equity interests in the Mining Company and Ports Company will reduce to 65% and 90%, respectively. As of December 31, 2021,2022, the Options had not been exercised.

Transfer Between China Copper and Yunnan SASAC

On November 13, 2018, China Copper, a wholly-owned subsidiary of our controlling shareholder, entered into a transfer agreement with Yunnan SASAC, pursuant to which Yunnan SASAC shall transfer its 51% equity interest in Yunnan Metallurgical Group Co., Ltd. to China Copper with no consideration. The transfer was approved by the SASAC on December 19, 2018, by the State Administration for Market Regulation on December 20, 2018 and by the CSRC on December 29, 2018. Chinalco completed the transfer on January 8, 2019. As Yunnan Aluminum, an affiliated company of Yunnan Metallurgical Group Co., Ltd., competes with us in the business segments of alumina and primary aluminum, on January 2, 2019, Chinalco, as the indirect controlling shareholder of Yunnan Aluminum and our direct controlling shareholder, issued a letter of undertakings on non-competition to us in order to address business competition and safeguard the legitimate interests of the Company and our minority shareholders. According to the letter of undertakings, Chinalco undertook to start in 2019 planning the integration of the businesses in which Yunnan Aluminum and we compete with each other, and address business competition between Yunnan Aluminum and us within five years. In July 2022, we entered into a shares transfer agreement and agreed to acquire shares representing approximately 19% of the total issued share capital of Yunnan Aluminum. The shares transfer was completed in November 2022 and we currently hold 29.10% of the total issued share capital of Yunnan Aluminum. The financial results of Yunnan Aluminum have been consolidated into the financial statements of our Company. The aforesaid transaction has resolved the competition between Chinalco and our Group. However, the competition between our Group and Yunnan Aluminum has not been fully resolved. In light of this, our Company issued a letter of undertakings on non-competition to Yunnan Aluminum, according to which our Company undertook to appropriately resolve the issue of horizontal competition with Yunnan Aluminum within five years from 2019.

Transfer of Primary Aluminum Capacity Quota of Shanxi Huasheng

On May 28, 2019, Shanxi Huasheng and Yixin Aluminum entered into a transfer agreement, pursuant to which Shanxi Huasheng agreed to sell to Yixin Aluminum the primary aluminum capacity quota of 190,000 tonnes at a total transfer consideration of RMB950 million and a transfer price of RMB5,000 per tonne. With the adjusted number of annual capacity quota finally determined by relevant PRC authority, we completed the transfer of the primary aluminum capacity quota of 170,000 tonnes to Yixin Aluminum with the total transfer consideration of RMB850 million in June 2019. We expect this transfer would help to reverse Shanxi Huasheng’s losses, achieve its transformation and upgrading, and optimize our industrial layout and asset structure.

Proposed Issuance of H Shares

On June 29, 2021,21, 2022, our shareholders at the 20202021 annual general meeting passed a special resolution, which will remain valid until the earliest of (i) the conclusion of our next annual general meeting, (ii) the expiration of 12 months following the date of passing the resolution, or (iii) the date on which the authority set out in this resolution is revoked or varied by a special resolution at a general meeting. The resolution authorizes us to issue additional H Shares up to 20% of the number of H Shares in issue as of the resolution date. Our Board has been authorized to determine the use of the proceeds. The proposed issuance is subject to all the necessary approval by the CSRC and/or other relevant PRC government authorities.

Our Gallium Assets

On August 27, 2019, we entered into a capital contribution agreement with China Rare Metals and Rare Earths Company Ltd., a subsidiary of Chinalco, pursuant to which we agreed to make a capital contribution of RMB352,848,100 to China Rare Metals and Rare Earths Company Ltd. with our gallium assets. Upon completion of the transaction in August 2019, the shareholding proportion we held in China Rare Metals and Rare Earths Company Ltd. increased from 14.62% to 23.94%. In September 2021, we repurchased the gallium assets from three branches of China Rare Metals and Rare Earths Company Ltd for a cash consideration of RMB395,624,218.12.

Capital Contribution to Yixin Aluminum

On December 10, 2019, we entered into a capital contribution agreement with Yixin Aluminum and its shareholders, pursuant to which we agreed to make a capital contribution of RMB850 million in cash to Yixin Aluminum, which we paid in full in December 2019. Upon completion of the transaction, we held 38.90% equity interests of Yixin Aluminum. We expect this capital contribution to facilitate us in participating in the green development layout on the integration of hydropower and aluminum in Yunnan Province and obtaining competitive assets for our principal business.

Subscription for A Shares of Yunnan Aluminum

On December 19, 2019, we entered into a shares subscription agreement with Yunnan Aluminum, pursuant to which we agreed to subscribe through non-public offering for 314,050,688 A shares of Yunnan Aluminum at a price of RMB4.10 per share with the total subscription amount of RMB1,287,607,820.80. The subscription price of RMB4.10 per A share was determined through bidding and based on the minimum issuance price of the non-public offering by Yunnan Aluminum, which represented 90% of the average trading price of the shares in the 20 trading days prior to the first day of the issuance period, namely December 13, 2019. We paid the consideration in full and 314,050,688 A shares of Yunnan Aluminum were registered under our name in December 2019, representing approximately 10.04% of the total share capital of Yunnan Aluminum. Pursuant to the shares subscription agreement, we shall not transfer the subscribed A shares thereto within 36 months from the listing date. We expect our subscription for A shares of Yunnan Aluminum will help resolve business competitions between Yunnan Aluminum and us and is in line with our development strategies and in our interests as a whole.

On December 23, 2020 and March 16, 2021, we entered into a conditional shares subscription agreement and a supplemental agreement with Yunnan Aluminum, respectively, pursuant to which we agreed to subscribe for A shares of Yunnan Aluminum to be issued through non-public offering with the total subscription amount ranging from RMB200 million to RMB320 million. On December 2, 2021, we entered into a supplemental agreement with Yunnan Aluminum, pursuant to which we agreed to subscribe for 36,240,090 A shares of Yunnan Aluminum at a price of RMB8.83 per share with a total subscription amount of RMB319,999,994.70 and the subscription price per share is finally determined based on the results of enquiry. Upon completion of this subscription in December 2021, Yunnan Aluminum did not become a subsidiary of the Company.

On July 24, 2022, we entered into a shares transfer agreement with Yunnan Metallurgical Group Co., Ltd., pursuant to which, we agreed to acquire and Yunnan Metallurgical Group Co., Ltd. agreed to dispose of 658,911,907 shares in Yunnan Aluminum, representing approximately 19% of the total issued share capital of Yunnan Aluminum. The aforesaid shares transfer was completed in November 2022. The Company currently holds 1,009,202,685 shares in Yunnan Aluminum, representing approximately 29.10% of the total issued share capital of Yunnan Aluminum. The financial results of Yunnan Aluminum have been consolidated into the financial statements of our Company, and Yunnan Aluminum has become a subsidiary of the Company.

B.Business Overview

Our Principal Products

We are a leading enterprise in the non-ferrous metal industry in China. In terms of comprehensive scale, we ranked among the top enterprises in the global aluminum industry. We have benefited from the development of the PRC aluminum market, the world’s largest aluminum market. We refine bauxite into alumina, which is then smelted into primary aluminum. In addition to alumina and primary aluminum, we also produce and sell chemical alumina products (alumina hydrate and alumina-based industrial chemical products) and carbon products (carbon anodes and cathodes). We are also engaged in the trading and logistics of alumina, primary aluminum, other non-ferrous metal products, coal products and raw and ancillary materials in bulk manufactured by us or sourced from external suppliers domestically and abroad. In addition, we are engaged in coal mining and power generation. The remainder of our revenues was derived from research and development activities and other products and services. Accordingly, we organize and manage our operations in five business segments: alumina segment, primary aluminum segment, trading segment, energy segment and corporate and other operating segment. After elimination of inter-segment sales, revenues attributable to our alumina segment, primary aluminum segment, trading segment, energy segment, and corporate and other operating segment accounted for approximately 6.9%5.6%, 23.7%29.7%, 66.4%61.4%, 2.8%3.1% and 0.1%0.2%, respectively, of our total revenues in 2021.2022.

Our alumina segment includes the mining and purchasing of bauxite and other raw materials, and production and sale of alumina as well as chemical alumina. Alumina accounted for approximately 93.1%89.1% of our total production volume of alumina and chemical alumina products for this segment in 2021.2022. Chemical alumina products are used in the production of chemical, pharmaceutical, ceramic and construction materials. In the process of refining bauxite into alumina, we produce gallium as a by-product, which is a rare, high value metal with applications in the electronics and telecommunication industries.

Our primary aluminum segment includes the procurement of alumina, other raw materials, supplemental materials and electrical power, the production and sale of primary aluminum and aluminum-related products, such as carbon products, aluminum alloy products, , renewable aluminum and other aluminum products. Our principal primary aluminum products are ingots, molten aluminum and aluminum alloys, which accounted for approximately 18.6%26.5%, 44.1%41.5% and 37.3%32.0%, respectively, of our total production volume of primary aluminum in 2021.2022. Our standard 20 kilogram remelt ingots are used for general aluminum fabrication in the construction, electricity, electronics, transportation, packaging, machinery and durable goods industries. We internally produce substantially all the carbon products used at our smelters and sell our remaining carbon products to external customers.

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Raw Materials

Alumina

Bauxite is the principal raw material in alumina production. Most of the bauxite in China is monohydrate, consisting mainly of aluminosilicate compounds. Bauxite deposits have been discovered across a broad area of central China and are especially abundant in the southern and northern parts of central China. The largest bauxite deposit in China lies in the Shanxi Province.

Rock Formation and Mineralization. Except for our Guangxi Pingguo mine which is an accumulation deposit due to original erosion, the bauxite deposits of our mines in China usually have similar stratigraphic sequences. Primary bauxite deposit, as a type of sedimentary boehmite (Al₂O₃.H₂O) of the Carboniferous or Permian age, is contained in clay rock, limestone or coal seams. A zonary red shale is usually located at the bottom of the bauxite and the red seam distributes over the irregular “karst-type” erosion face on the top of Ordovician limestone. Aluminum deposits in northern China are usually covered with a very thick Quaternary weathering.

The thickness and quality of deposits vary with our mine locations. Quality is usually consistent in smooth sections but changes sharply in karst “billabong” terrain. The level of hardness of minerals also varies. A sequence that includes a seam of hard bauxite of fine quality in the middle and soft bauxite of inferior quality on the bottom and top seams is common in deposits.

Generally, deposits are horizontal or with an obliquity of 0 to 8 degrees, but there are also steep deposits at an angle of 75 degrees, such as in our Guizhou mine. Most of the original mineralization is not influenced by folds and faults, and some fractures of a low obliquity and folds emerge in certain deposits, which is evident in the Guizhou mine area. In most of the Guizhou mine area, the underground mining method must be used due to the obliquity of its bauxite body reaching 70 degrees with the influence of folds and several meters of dislocation arising from partial faults.

Economic Significance. Our bauxite deposits in China are divided into three groups. They are primarily distinguished by drill hole spacing and the composition of the deposit, which can encompass rock formations such as intercalated clays, bauxite, footwall iron clay or Ordovician limestone. Bauxite deposit groups vary in the thickness and mineral quality of its reserves.

We use the Chinese bauxite deposit estimation method, which is calculated using cut-off grades and thickness to outline continuous areas within the limits defined by samples of marginal grade. We utilize actual limiting sample points that are joined to create a polygonal outline, and grades are then calculated using a length weighted arithmetic average. We believe that the Chinese bauxite deposit estimation method of test boring, inspection pit, trial trench, density, tonnage analysis and calculation applied to the geological work of bauxite in China is an appropriate method to analyze these types of deposits.

Supply. To support the growth of our alumina production, we continuously seek opportunities to streamline and optimize our bauxite procurement. Except for Chalco Shandong, all of our refineries are located in the four provinces where over 90% of China’s potentially mineable bauxite has been found. We generally source our domestic bauxite from mines close to our refineries to control transportation costs. Historically, we have procured our bauxite supply principally from three sources:

On average, our refineries consumed approximately 2.4 tonnes of bauxite to produce one tonne of alumina in 2021.2022. Our mines supplied approximately 28.129.6 million tonnes of bauxite to our refineries in 2021.2022. We purchase bauxite from a number of suppliers and do not depend on any supplier for our bauxite requirements.

The average purchase price of bauxite per tonne from our other suppliers in 2021 decreased2022 increased by approximately 6.2%4.8% to RMB386.83RMB405.31 compared to 2020,2021, primarily because (i) withof the shortage of bauxite resources in certain areas in China, which led to a higher bargaining power due to less reliance on external bauxite suppliers, we were able to procure bauxite from external suppliers with a lower price in 2021, and (ii) the international freight decreased in 2021, in each case compared to that in 2020.price. The average cost of bauxite per tonne from our own mines is mainly related to the cost of our bauxite mining operations and transportation costs. In 2021,2022, the average cost of bauxite per tonne from our own mines increased by approximately 6.3% to RMB299.03was RMB287.04, which remained stable compared to 2020, mainly due to increasethat of the cost of our bauxite mining operations.2021.

We purchase a substantial amount of bauxite to satisfy our alumina production needs. Additionally, to fully utilize the bauxite from our mines, we refine all bauxite that meets the minimum technical requirements for our production of alumina. We also purchase higher-grade ore from other suppliers and blend the ore of various grades to meet the technical requirements for our alumina production. This practice allows for flexibility and the inclusion of lower-grade bauxite to optimize the use of bauxite deposits available to us.

Primary Aluminum

An average of approximately 1.911.90 tonnes of alumina and 13,36113,376 kWh of electricity was required to produce one tonne of primary aluminum ingots in 2021.2022.

Alumina and electricity, the two principal components of costs in the smelting process, accounted for approximately 40%35% and 37%, respectively, of our unit primary aluminum production costs in 2021.2022. Apart from alumina and electricity, we also require carbon anodes, carbon cathodes, fluoride salt and cryolite for our smelting operations.

Alumina is the main raw material used in the production of primary aluminum. Our primary aluminum plants that do not have integrated alumina refining operations onsite obtain alumina internally from our alumina refineriesplants located elsewhere or externally on the market.

Our Mines

Overview of Our Mining Properties and Operations

As of December 31, 20212022 and up to the date of this annual report, our mining operations are primarily related to bauxite mines and also cover certain coal mines.

Bauxite Mines

As of December 31, 2021,2022, we owned and operated 14 bauxite mines in China and one bauxite mine in Guinea. In accordance with the requirements of Regulation S-K 1300, we consider our Boffa mine in Guinea as the sole mining property that is material to our business. Please refer to “– D. Property, Plants and Equipment – Boffa Mine” for more details of Boffa mine and refer to Exhibit 96.1 for the technical report summary that has been prepared for Boffa mine in accordance with Regulation S-K 1300 and Item 601(b)(96) of Regulation S-K, or the Technical Report Summary.Summary, in our amended annual report on Form 20-F/A for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the SEC on August 31, 2022.