Taiwan was one of the first countries to respond to Section 201 with an emergency plan and an import monitoring system. The import checks have shown that there have been substantial increases, but steel demand is running ahead fast and absorbing the extra tonnage, and no action will be taken against imports. Prices of most products - of domestic or foreign origin - have continued to rise, and steelmakers are eager to import more semis to avoid disappointing customers. One consequence of the buoyant market is that CSC has agreed to pay 200 US dollars/t cif for at least 200,000 tonnes of slab from Japan for its affiliate Yieh Loong's HR coil production in the third quarter, following a second quarter contract for 165-170 US dollars/t cif. Yieh Loong needs around 500,000 tonnes every quarter to hit its monthly HR coil output target of over 150,000 tonnes. CSC usually provides 150,000 tonnes itself and buys a further 150,000 tonnes of merchant slab in world markets, most commonly from Russia and Brazil.
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