According to customs statistics, China's steel bar exports in December last year stood at 139,800 mt, up 20,900 mt or 17.56 percent year on year, totaling $102 million in value, down $28 million or 21.66 percent compared with the same month of the previous year. Total steel bar exports in the January-December period of 2009 reached 1.08 million mt, down 5.32 million mt or 83.01 percent, amounting to $836 million in value, down $5.39 billion or 86.58 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, the country's steel bar imports in December stood at 35,600 mt, up 12,900 mt or 56.87 percent year on year, totaling $69 million in value, up $17 million or 31.67 percent compared with December 2008. Total steel bar imports in 2009 reached 298,700 mt, down 116,100 mt or 27.98 percent, amounting to a total value of $571 million, down $255 million or 30.88 percent year on year.