Jiang Wei, vice chairman and secretary-general of the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), has stated that, to ensure a strong start for the development of Chinese steel industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, three priorities should be pursued: first, controlling aggregate output by actively advancing capacity governance, production regulation and self-discipline; secondly, expanding demand, especially focusing on promoting steel structures to broaden the application of steel materials; thirdly, driving transformation through the in-depth implementation of three major upgrade initiatives - product innovation, energy-carbon efficiency improvement and digital-intelligent transformation.
In addition, Shi Hongwei, deputy secretary-general and director of the market research department of the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), said that, as a primary steel product, semi-finished steel possesses strong resource and energy attributes, and so he thereby called on enterprises to take a comprehensive view of the benefits and impacts of semi-finished steel exports. He said that large-scale semi-finished steel exports will further exert a negative impact on domestic steel prices, creating a vicious cycle, and so Chinese steelmakers should curb the impulse to export semi-finished steel.
As previously reported by SteelOrbis, in the January-March period this year, China’s semi-finished steel exports amounted to 3.3018 million mt, up 28.99 percent year on year.
In March alone, China’s semi-finished steel exports totaled 1.5281 million mt, up 65.99 percent month on month, while up 48.37 percent year on year, reaching a record new high for a single month in 2026.
Shi stated that, since 2024, CISA has actively advocated for an export policy orientation of promoting high-end products, stabilizing neighboring markets and strengthening regulatory oversight, aimed at promoting the standardization of export orders and the improvement of the trading environment. He also said that CISA will cooperate with relevant parties of the government to promote China’s steel exports toward the goals of premiumization, green transformation and standardization.