In December, China's finished steel exports totaled 3.33 million mt, up 163,800 mt or 5.17 percent year on year, posting a monthly high for 2009, and totaling a value of $2.54 billion, down $1.39 billion or 35.35 percent compared with the same month in the previous year. Meanwhile, China's finished steel exports for the whole of 2009 reached 24.58 million mt, down 34.61 million mt or 58.47 percent year on year, amounting to a total value of $22.32 billion, down $41.06 billion or 64.79 percent year on year.
On the other hand, China's finished steel imports in December totaled 1.48 million mt, up 556,400 mt or 59.96 percent year on year, totaling $1.73 billion in value, up $134 million or 8.38 percent compared with December 2008. Meanwhile, finished steel imports for the whole of 2009 reached 17.64 million mt, up 2.25 million mt or 14.64 percent year on year, amounting to a value of $19.62 billion, down $3.72 billion or 15.94 percent year on year.
In December, the country's net exports of finished steel amounted to 1.85 million mt, with the trading surplus totaling a value of $807 million. The average export price in December was $762.56/mt, down $477.88/mt or 38.52 percent year on year. The average import price was $1,168.47/mt, down $348.54/mt or 22.98 percent year on year. The export price was $405.91/mt or 34.73 percent lower than the import price.