As stated by the Turkish Iron and Steel Producers' Association (TCUD), amid surplus production and lower domestic demand the Chinese steel industry has changed the global balance by its cheap sales to the international markets. As a result, Turkey’s steel imports from China have increased remarkably.
According to the new TCUD data, in the January-September period this year Turkey's steel imports from China surged by a massive 255.7 percent to 1.97 million mt, with a value of $1.49 billion, up 65.7 percent, both compared to the same period of 2014.
As indicated by the TCUD, in the first nine months of this year Turkey's overall billet imports from China totaled more than 834,000 mt compared to 20,000 mt in the same period of last year. As regards Turkey's other steel imports from China in the January-September period this year, Turkey's flat steel imports reached 664,000 mt, up 284.7 percent, long steel imports amounted to 149,000 mt, rising by 38.9 percent, and steel pipe imports increased by 53.3 percent to 222,000 mt, year on year.
In September alone, Turkey's steel imports from China reached 465,000 million mt, up 451.4 percent year on year. In the month in question, while there were hardly any billet imports from China, flat steel imports increased by 279.3 percent to 74,000 mt, long steel imports totaled 17,000 mt, down 39.4 percent, and pipe imports reached 56,000 mt, up 163.9 percent, all year on year.