In the January-March period this year, China imported 3.718 million mt of finished steel, up 17.0 percent year on year, with the growth 0.4 percentage points slower than that recorded in the first two months of the current year, as announced by the Chinese customs authorities on April 13.
In March alone, China imported 1.322 million mt of finished steel, up 16.0 percent year on year. The volume does not include semi-finished steel imports, which is expected to be high amid active billet purchases.
As previously reported by SteelOrbis, the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) forecasts that the boosting demand from infrastructure investment in China will continue in 2021-2022 and that steel imports may go up slightly this year.