In September this year, China exported 3.828 million mt of finished steel, decreasing by 30.8 percent year on year, but up 4.08 percent month on month, as announced by the Chinese customs authorities on October 13. The rebound in the month-on-month comparison was not big enough to signal a change in trend. It happened after a visible decline in shipments in August, down 11.9 percent month on month. The sharp year-on-year drop was evidence of Chinese mills’ continued focus on their local market during the summer.
In the January-September period of the year, China exported 40.385 million mt of finished steel, down 19.6 percent year on year, 1.0 percentage point higher compared to the decrease rate recorded in the January-August period this year.