According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in June of the current year China’s iron ore production amounted to 78.317 million mt, increasing by 8.4 percent year on year, 0.3 percentage points faster than the increase rate recorded in May this year.
Import iron ore prices increased to the highest level in the given month at $104.5/mt on June 16 amid good demand from steelmakers, while they fluctuated at high levels during the rest of the month. In July, amid bullish sentiments in the financial markets and the appreciation of the Chinese currency, import iron ore prices moved up further, reaching $110.6/mt on July 19.
In the first six months of the current year, China produced 413.953 million mt of iron ore, increasing by 4.5 percent year on year, 0.4 percentage points higher than the increase rate recorded in the first five months of this year.
As previously reported by SteelOrbis, China imported 546.907 million mt of iron ore in the January-June period of the current year, up 9.6 percent year on year.