China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has announced that it has given the green light for Chinese steel giant Baosteel's seamless pipe project in Thailand.
Exports of steel pipes from China have been encountering antidumping and countervailing investigations in overseas destinations. Although demand in Thailand's seamless pipe market is relatively weak, Baosteel's planned project for a seamless pipe production facility in Thailand is expected to help circumvent foreign trade barriers. In 2009, the seamless pipe imports of Thailand totaled 177,000 mt. In 2011, Chinese seamless pipe exports to Thailand amounted to only 130,000 mt, accounting for 2.7 percent of China's total seamless pipe exports.