In the January-June period this year, China’s finished steel exports amounted to 54.874 million mt, decreasing by 5.6 percent year on year, 2.5 percentage points slower than the decreasing pace recorded in the first five months this year, according to the latest data released by China's General Administration of Customs (GACC). The decline is the expected result of the implementation of China’s new export license policy starting from January 2026, which has exerted a negative impact on finished steel exports. The relatively low prices of ex-China finished steel provided support for steel exports in the January-June period.
In June alone, China’s finished steel exports amounted to 10.32 million mt, decreasing by 0.2 percent month on month, though up 6.6 percent year on year.
In the given month, finished steel exports showed a rise of 6.6 percent year on year, contributing to the slower decline of finished steel exports in the January-June period.
In the first six months this year, China’s finished steel imports totaled 2.696 mt, down 11.3 percent year on year. In June this year, China’s finished steel imports came to 441,000 mt, down 2.2 percent month on month, while decreasing by 6.2 percent year on year.
