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China’s iron ore imports and finished steel exports both rose in March compared with the previous month, according to preliminary Chinese customs data.
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China’s crude steel output averaged 2.07 million tonnes per day in late March, up 0.4 percent from 2.06 million tonnes in mid-March but down 0.6 percent from the record 2.08 million tonnes per day in the first 10 days of the month, the latest data from the China Iron and Steel Association (Cisa) show.
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A Chinese government order instructing steel mills to halt output of some reinforcing bar grades in an attempt to improve construction standards is sparking uncertainty about supplies over the next few months.
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Chinese steel producer Tangshan Iron & Steel Co. Ltd. has agreed to buy a 10-percent stake in Duferco International Trading Holding SA, a spokeswoman for the trader confirmed March 27.
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Sinoma International Engineering, part of the China National Materials Group, has exited the steel trading business because of excessive risk and losses incurred last year.
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China’s steel plate export prices fell this week due to slow business and a weak domestic market.
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China’s imports of steelmaking raw materials fell further in February amid a shorter month due to the Chinese New Year holiday.
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Stainless steel market participants in China’s stainless steel hub of Wuxi, located some 87 miles from Shanghai, are relatively downbeat amid a lull in the market following a modest round of buying after the Chinese New Year.
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The new coking coal futures contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange saw 50.9 million tonnes traded on its first day March 22.
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Erdos Metallurgy Group Co. Ltd. (EMG), China’s largest ferrosilicon producer, has purchased a 65-percent stake in Qinghai Wutong (Group) Industry Co. Ltd., increasing its capacity by 250,000 tonnes per year.
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China’s crude steel production averaged a record 2.08 million tonnes per day in the first 10 days of March despite a downbeat steel market.
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Overproduction in the global aluminum market that has led to low prices is mostly concentrated in China, according to United Co. Rusal’s director of supplies and logistics, Yakov Itskov.
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The European Union’s Council of Ministers has imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports of certain coated steel products from China.
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China’s State Reserve Bureau (SRB) has awarded aluminum and zinc tenders, although the latter fell short of its target.
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China is taking a harder line on imports of solid waste, with shipments facing increased scrutiny and supervision from Chinese customs officials, sources have told AMM.
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Privately owned steel mills now account for just over half of Chinese steel production, which poses a challenge for any serious move toward industry consolidation.
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China’s ferroalloys output averaged 94,071 tonnes per day in February, up 18.2 percent from 79,613 tonnes in January, as smelters increased production on rising alloy prices.
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China’s revised emission caps for iron ore and steelmaking projects likely will result in further consolidation—and closures—of small steelmaking facilities, analysts told AMM sister publication Steel First.
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China’s daily run-of-mine iron ore output totaled 3.17 million tonnes in February, up 14 percent from about 2.79 million tonnes per day in January, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
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A leading independent Chinese steel producer, General Steel Holdings Inc., is expanding its rebar rolling production to meet demand from the country’s less-developed provinces.
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China’s copper imports fell in February due to a combination of poor demand and the Chinese New Year holiday.
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Chinese stainless steel mills have slashed their March purchase prices for ferrochrome, as South African producers negotiate further power-related cutbacks and insist they have no spot material to offer.
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Chinese coke exports totaled 120,000 tonnes in February, the highest level in eight months, according to customs data released March 8.
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China imported 56.42 million tonnes of iron ore in February, down 13.9 percent from the previous month, the country’s General Administration of Customs said March 8.