According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China, China’s imports of steel products totaled around 5.7 million tons in the first three quarters of this year, rising by 32% compared to the same period a year ago. The value generated by these imports was around US$9.6 billion, a year-on-year drop of 27.4%.

In September alone, the import volume was 640,000 tons, keeping flat month on month and falling by 28.3% year on year. The import value was US$1.05 billion, down by 2.2% month on month and by 26% year on year.

In terms of exports, China exported around 66.8 million tons of steel products in the January-September period of this year, hiking by 32% compared to the corresponding period a year earlier. These exports were worth around US$65.9 billion, down by 11% year on year.

In September alone, China’s steel exports reached 8.1 million tons, falling by 2.6% month on month and rising by 62% year on year. The export value was US$6.6 billion, down by 2.2% month on month and by 6% year on year.