In September this year, China exported 4.984 million mt of finished steel, up 1.3 percent year on year, while down 19 percent month on month due to the weak performance in the export market in the summer months when most contracts for September shipment were made, as announced by the Chinese customs authorities on October 24. However, amid the continued depreciation of the Chinese currency coupled with high supply of steel, sales to overseas markets have increased significantly for November-December shipment, and so export volumes from China may indicate an increasing trend for the fourth quarter, according to market sources.
In the first nine months of the current year, China exported 51.209 million mt of finished steel, down 3.4 percent year on year.
China imported 891,000 mt of finished steel, which is almost stable compared with 893,000 mt in the previous month, and down 29.3 percent year on year.
In the January-September period this year, China imported 8.343 million mt of finished steel, down 22.1 percent year on year.