China's imports of raw aluminum from Russia rose tenfold in January from a year earlier, according to data released Monday by the general administration of customs. China imported 11,185 tons of aluminum from Russia in January, compared with 1,109 tons a year earlier.

In the fourth quarter of 2018, China imported more than 56,000 tons of Russian aluminum, including 22,007 tons in December, the highest monthly import level from Russia in at least 2016. America lifted sanctions on rusal, a Russian aluminium giant, in late January. Traders and analysts had expected Russia to try to sell aluminum to China in the wake of U.S. sanctions against rusal announced last April.

Still, Russian aluminum exports to China totaled just 1,237 metric tons in the third quarter of last year before surging toward the end of the year, according to customs data. It is unclear who received Russian aluminum. China is also the world's largest aluminum producer, and demand for foreign aluminum is low, especially at a time when demand is sluggish and prices fell to two-year lows last month. Rusal set up its own trading company in Beijing last year, partly to develop aluminum imports. Rusal has a trading joint venture in shenzhen, China.