Jiang Wei, vice chairman and general secretary of the China Iron and Steel Industry Association (CISA), said that to ensure a strong start to the development of the Chinese steel industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, three priorities must be implemented: first, controlling aggregate production through active capacity management, production regulation and self-discipline; second, expanding demand, especially focusing on the promotion of steel structures to expand the use of steel materials; third, driving transformation through the in-depth implementation of three core upgrade initiatives - product innovation, energy efficiency and carbon-carbon efficiency improvement, and digital intelligent transformation.
In addition, Shi Hongwei, Deputy Secretary General and Director of the Market Research Department of the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), said that as a core steel product, semi-finished steel products have strong resource and energy characteristics, and therefore he called on enterprises to comprehensively evaluate the benefits and consequences of exporting semi-finished steel products. He said that large-scale exports of semi-finished steel products will continue to have a negative impact on domestic steel prices, creating a vicious circle, and therefore Chinese steel producers should curb the impulse to export steel semi-finished products.
In March alone, exports of semi-finished steel products from China totaled 1.5281 million tons, up 65.99 percent month-on-month on a year-on-year basis and up 48.37 percent year-on-year, reaching a new one-month high in 2026.
Shi said that since 2024, CISA has been actively advocating for export policy to focus on promoting high-quality products. products, stabilizing neighboring markets and strengthening regulatory oversight to promote standardization of export orders and improve the trade environment. He also said that CISA will collaborate with relevant parties in the government to promote steel exports from China for premiumization, green transformation and standardization
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