Shaanxi province in Northwest China became the largest industrial base for magnesium in the world, China Daily learned from Shaanxi provincial government.

The annual output of primary magnesium in Shaanxi reached 316,700 tons in 2012, 45.4 percent of the output in China and 37.2 percent of global output.

Magnesium is widely used in mobile phone casings, aircraft seat armrests and spacecraft.

Shaanxi has 51 firms involved in the magnesium business mainly located in northern Shaanxi’s Shenmu and Fugu counties.

On May 20, the first electronic trading platform for magnesium and magnesium alloys in mainland China, Shaanxi E-Commerce Center of Magnesium, was officially put into operation.