In the January-May period this year, China’s iron ore imports amounted to 516.258 million mt, up 6.3 percent year on year, 1.7 percentage points slower than the increase recorded in the first four months this year, according to the latest data released by China's General Administration of Customs (GACC).
Although demand for steel from the real estate industry has been slack, steel demand from the infrastructure and manufacturing industries has been quite good, bolstering crude steel outputs and exerting a positive impact on iron ore imports.
In May alone, China’s iron ore imports totaled 97.711 million, down 5.9 percent month on month, while decreasing by 0.43 percent year on year.
