In 2021, China imported 14.268 million mt of finished steel, down 29.5 % year on year, as announced by the Chinese customs authorities.
A similar trend was seen in the semi-finished steel segment and, though the final data are available yet, the total imports of steel (finished and semi-finished) are expected to be around 27-28 million mt in 2021. In 2020, the total imports reached 38.5 million mt.
In December alone, China imported 1.001 million mt of finished steel, down 26.93 % year on year, while down 29.71% month on month.