In the first five months of this year, China’s overall finished steel exports amounted to 45.2 million mt, up seven percent, with 2.7 million metric tons of this volume arriving in Latin America, down 35 percent, both on year-on-year basis, according to Alacero, the Latin American steel association. Accordingly, in the given period Latin America’s share in China’s finished steel exports decreased to six percent from 9.9 percent in the same period of the previous year. In May alone, Latin America's finished steel imports from China increased by three percent month on month to 482,000 mt, down 22 percent compared to May last year.
In the January-May period of this year, China's main finished steel export destinations in Latin America were Central America which received 604,000 mt, equal to a 22 percent share of China's total finished steel exports to Latin America, Chile with 458,000 mt equal to a 17 percent share, and Peru with 380,000 mt amounting to a 14 percent share.
Meanwhile, in the same period, Latin America received 1.3 million mt of flat steel and 1.0 million mt of long steel from China.