China's stainless steel production surpasses 5 million mt

The Chinese state news agency Xinhua has stated that according to China Special Steel Enterprises Association's (CSSEA) figures, stainless steel production in the country reached 5.3 million mt in 2006, up 68 percent year on year. This figure indicates that the country has become the largest stainless steel producer in the world. According to the figures of the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF), China had already become the largest stainless steelmaker in the world with 2.3 million mt of production for the first half of last year, up 44 percent on the corresponding period of the previous year. Meanwhile, China's stainless steel imports in 2006 amounted to 2.5 million mt, down 20.13 percent, while its exports were 904,000 mt, up 122.64 percent, according to the CSSEA figures.