According to the Chinese customs authorities, in April this year China exported 4.31 million mt of finished steel products, an increase of 980,000 mt compared to March, and up 205.67 percent year on year. In the first four months of the current year, China's total finished steel exports amounted to 13.02 million mt, rising by 98.8 percent compared with the corresponding period of 2009.
In April, China imported 1.5 million mt of finished steel, down 120,000 mt month on month and down 7.41 percent year on year. During the first four months of 2010, China imported a total of 5.61 million mt of finished steel, up 15.7 percent year on year.
In the month in question, China did not export any semis, while the export volume for semis for the first four months was 10,000 mt. At the same time, China imported 60,000 mt of semis in April, down 20,000 mt compared with March and down 91.04 percent year on year.
In April, Chinese coke exports totaled 240,000 mt, up 220,000 mt year on year. The total coke export volume in the January-April period came to 370,000 mt, up 111.2 percent year on year.
In April, China's iron ore import volume totaled 55.33 million mt, down 3.68 million mt month on month or down 2.93 percent year on year. Total imports from January to April inclusive reached 210.32 million mt, up 11.6 percent year on year.