On January 24, Russia will hold a new round of negotiations with China regarding the issue of China's self-limitation of its pipe exports to Russia.
The Russian delegation will be headed by the director of the Russian Fund for Development of Pipe Industry and will include top-managers of leading domestic pipe producers such as TMK, ChTPZ Group, OMK and others. On the other hand, the Chinese side will be represented by Mr. Kong Lingming secretary general of the Chinese National Pipe Association, and by Mr. Hou Ying, the representative of the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), and also by several Chinese pipe producers.
During the previous meeting on the issue of China's self-limitation of its pipe exports to Russia, the Chinese side recognized the problem posed by the increasing quantities of pipe supplies to the Russian market. As a result, during the August 2007 meeting of the sub-commission for trade and economic questions, China's Minister of Commerce Mr. Bo Xilai announced the new measures adopted by the Chinese government. However, the dynamic of pipe supplies from China to Russia changed little. Thus, in the first eleven months of 2007 imports of pipes from China to Russia increased 6.7-fold year on year to 215,000 metric tons. In addition, during the period in question, Chinese exporters were selling their pipes in Russia at dumping prices.