China has unveiled a new action plan for the steel industry, which includes a set of measures to address the chronic problem of oversupply. This comes amid Beijing’s intensified efforts to end a series of price wars raging in the economy, writes the South China Morning Post.
The plan, which includes a strict ban on the commissioning of additional capacity and measures to accelerate the decommissioning of obsolete equipment, could serve as an example for other industries suffering from overproduction and excessive competition.
The document, published on Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in conjunction with a number of other agencies, calls for strict control over steel production capacity and volumes. It stresses that “coordinated efforts on both the supply and demand sides” are needed to stabilize the industry.
The plan aims to “accelerate the transition from old to new growth drivers, develop new productive forces, and further enhance the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains.” The steel industry should strive to increase added value by approximately 4% annually over the next two years and complete the modernization of more than 80% of steel production capacity to achieve ultra-low emissions by the end of this year.
Although Chinese steel companies account for more than half of global production, the average profitability of listed companies in 2024 was minus 0.26% due to structural problems in the industry, the report said.
According to CINDA Securities, 7.44 million tons of five major types of steel products were produced in the country in the first half of September, approximately 5.8% more than in the same period a year earlier. Steel inventories increased by 12.1% to 11.01 million tons, while consumption fell by approximately 4.6% to 8.5 million tons.
The composite steel price index is currently at 3,507 yuan ($493) per ton, which is approximately 2.6% higher than last year’s figure, but approximately 14% lower than in 2023.
In 2024, China reduced steel production by 1.7% to 1.005 billion tons.
