China Steel to Keep Prices Stable Next Month

China Steel Corp yesterday announced its decision to keep domestic steel prices unchanged for the second consecutive month next month.

The nation’s largest steelmaker stated that it considered customers’ export competitiveness and the ongoing consolidation in the regional steel market when making this decision.

China Steel also highlighted the steady recovery of the global manufacturing industry this year and anticipated declining high-interest rates, factors expected to drive future steel demand.

It noted that economies in Europe and the US are stabilizing, with the European steel market indicating signs of recovery and steel prices in the US experiencing an uptrend in recent months.

This development is seen as positive for export-dependent nations in Asia. The company cited estimates from the World Steel Association, forecasting a 1.7 percent year-on-year growth in global steel demand this year, equivalent to an annual increase of approximately 30.1 million tonnes.
Additionally, China Steel referenced the International Monetary Fund’s projection of a 3.1 percent global economic growth rate for the current year.

However, it highlighted that prices of key raw materials have remained notably above the 10-year average, with iron ore returning to the range of US$100 to US$110 per tonne and coking coal remaining steady at US$220 to US$230 per tonne.

While the overall steel market is anticipated to show sequential improvement in the coming quarters based on current supply-demand dynamics, China Steel expressed concerns about China’s unfair trade practices, which it believes have negatively impacted the global economy.

The company emphasized that China’s excessive production of low-cost steel products has inflicted significant damage on steel industries worldwide.

China Steel revealed that last year that China exported 630,000 tonnes of hot-rolled and cold-rolled steel products to Taiwan, marking a 60 percent increase from the previous year. This surge in imports has had adverse effects on local steel producers.

In response, China Steel stated that it is gathering data and information regarding Chinese firms’ dumping practices and intends to implement necessary relief measures to protect the domestic steel industry.

This decision comes after several countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam, lodged anti-dumping complaints against steel products from China.