Chinas Steel Consumption Getting Close to 300 Million-ton Era

摘要

Marking the 260 million-ton level in 2003 with an increase of more than 50 million in a year. Nominal steel consumption in China is presumed to have exceeded 260 million tons in 2003 with an increase of more than 50 million tons from 210 million tons in 2002. After all, China is analyzed to have a possibility to open a new era to consume 300 million tons of steel in 2004 after the lapse of 2 years it entered the 200-million-ton-per-year steel consumption period in 2002. According to the presumption based on the forecast on Chinas production, imports and exports of steel products from January through November 2003, its annual crude steel production is estimated to have exceeded 218 million tons last year. Annual output of steel products was regarded to have made a whopping jump over 230 million tons. Yearly imports of steel products were assumed to have reached 37 million tons last year, while estimated annual exports topped 6.8 million tons.