China Watch

• Ferrous buying prices steady in China (UPDATE) Jul 01, 2011

  China’s largest steelmakers are keeping their ferrous scrap buying prices steady despite reports of falling international prices amid tight supplies of the material in their home market.

• Yalian secures $3.9M credit line Jun 30, 2011

  Yalian Steel Corp. has secured a 25-million-yuan ($3.9-million) line of credit from China Merchants Bank.

• Canada urged to explore global scrap exports Jun 29, 2011

  Ferrous and nonferrous scrap market participants called on Canada’s scrap companies to explore export opportunities presented by markets like Turkey, Brazil, China, India and some southeast Asian countries.

• Trade distortions breeding 'disaster': DiMicco Jun 22, 2011

  China’s refusal to participate in global trade on a level playing field is positioning the world economy for disaster, Nucor Corp. chairman and chief executive officer Daniel R. DiMicco said as he called for Chinese steelmakers to "get off the cocaine high" and "start playing by the rules."

• No ‘hard landing’ for China: Ulrich Jun 22, 2011

  Recent economic data out of China suggests that its economy may be in for a cooling-off period, but if you put your money on a "hard landing" you may find yourself on the wrong side of the bet, according to Jing Ulrich, one of the financial world’s top experts on China.

• Chinese steel production predicted to fall Jun 22, 2011

  It may look as if Chinese steel production is set to grow for the foreseeable future, but at least one leading industry observer sees a decline ahead.

• SSS Conference: Taiwan’s CSC eyes growth in China, but not new mills Jun 21, 2011

  Taiwan’s only steelmaker, China Steel Corp. (CSC), is seeking growth strategies for its customers, many of whom are steel users in neighboring mainland China.

• Ford breaks ground on China engine plant Jun 20, 2011

  Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Corp. Ltd., Ford Motor Co.'s passenger car joint venture in China, has broken ground on a $500-million engine plant in Chongqing in southwest China.

• Alcoa shuffles Asian management team Jun 17, 2011

  Alcoa Inc. has rejigged its management team in Asia to better position it to capture growth in the expanding Chinese market.

• Aleris building China sales team, opens Beijing office Jun 15, 2011

  Aleris International Inc. has opened a new sales office in China as it continues to expand its presence in the country.

• China's silicon export prices firm on prospect of power shortages Jun 15, 2011

  China’s silicon exporters expect to raise prices higher in coming weeks, with the prospect of unseasonally high power costs

• Chinese appetite for No. 2 copper scrap grows Jun 14, 2011

  China’s demand for certain grades of U.S. copper scrap is expected to continue rising after four months of solid gains since the start of the year, domestic market participants said.

• Inner Mongolia rare earths ops to consolidate Jun 06, 2011

  The rare earths sector in China’s Inner Mongolia will be consolidated in a move to crack down on cheap exports and illegal digging for the lucrative metals, the regional government said in a statement.

• Commerce investigates Chinese steel cylinder imports Jun 03, 2011

  The U.S. Department of Commerce has initiated anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations of imports of high-pressure steel cylinders from China.

• Alarm at China's plan for rare earths exchange Jun 02, 2011

  A proposed rare earth mineral spot exchange in China has renewed anxiety for players outside of the Asian nation concerned about short supply, even as some welcomed the news.

• Stainless scrap exports up, but outlook dims Jun 01, 2011

  Stronger demand from China and rival Taiwan boosted exports of stainless steel scrap by nearly 40 percent in March from the four-year low seen the previous month, although the market looks to be weakening both at home and abroad.

• China’s Hebei Steel to tap iron ore deposit in Nevada May 23, 2011

  China’s Hebei Iron & Steel Group Co. Ltd. has signed a framework agreement with Australia’s Richmond Mining Ltd. to jointly develop an iron ore mine in Nevada.

• Ford inks deal to build its 1st transmission plant in China May 23, 2011

  Ford Motor Co., together with its partners in China, is building its first transmission plant in China to support its growth plan in the world’s largest automotive market.

• US manufacturing may top China by '16: study May 19, 2011

  China may lose significant market share in the manufacturing sector and lag behind its U.S. counterparts by 2016, a new study suggests, indicating a possible cardinal shift amid debate over competition from the East.

• Eti Krom looks to China for ferrochrome's future May 19, 2011

  Turkish ferrochrome producer Eti Krom Inc. would like to join forces with a producer in China to take advantage of the country’s burgeoning output, which is expected to overtake South Africa by 2016, Cengiz Onal, sales manager for Eti Krom Inc., told AMM.

• Copper pierces $4 per lb. amid Chinese restocking May 18, 2011

  Copper tags topped $4 per pound Wednesday for the first time in a week on talk of Chinese consumers returning to the market due to a need to restock, traders told AMM.

• US iron, steel mill product trade deficit soars May 17, 2011

  A 4.7-percent increase in the value of U.S. iron and steel mill product exports to $1.05 billion in March was more than offset by a 31.9-percent month-on-month gain in the import value to $1.78 billion.

• Nonferrous scrap exports hit record high May 16, 2011

  U.S. nonferrous scrap exports reached a record high in March as stronger Chinese demand lifted volumes.

• Alcoa, Chinese bank sign collaboration agreement May 13, 2011

  Alcoa Inc. and the China Development Bank (CDB) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a number of aluminum and related projects in China and elsewhere.