In 2021, China imported 14.268 million mt of finished steel, down 29.5 percent year on year, as announced by the Chinese customs authorities on January 14.
A similar trend was seen in the semi-finished steel segment and, though the final data are available yet, the total imports of steel (finished and semi-finished) are expected to be around 27-28 million mt in 2021. In 2020, the total imports reached 38.5 million mt.
In December alone, China imported 1.001 million mt of finished steel, down 26.93 percent year on year, while down 29.71 percent month on month.