On April 26th, the China Iron and Steel Industry Association (CISA) announced in Beijing that in the first quarter, China's crude steel production reached 26.156 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 6.1%, indicating an increase in steel production and an improvement in market demand.

    On April 26th, Tang Zujun, Vice President of China Steel Association, stated at a press conference held in Beijing that in the first quarter, the epidemic prevention and control had a rapid and stable transition, market demand had improved, economic operation had a good start, and the overall demand for steel in downstream industries stabilized. Steel production and apparent consumption of crude steel both increased year-on-year.

    Official data shows that in the first quarter, China's crude steel production reached 261.56 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 6.1%; The production of pig iron reached 219.83 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 7.6%; The steel production reached 332.59 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 5.8%. In the first quarter, the apparent consumption of crude steel was 243.42 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 1.9%. The monthly steel inventory of key enterprises is higher than the same period last year, and the supply intensity is higher than the consumption growth. In March, China's daily average production of crude steel reached 3.09 million tons, the highest level in the same period in history.

    According to the monitoring of China Steel Association, the average value of China Steel Price Index (CSPI) in the first quarter was 117.32 points, a year-on-year decrease of 13.68%. Tang Zujun said that since the beginning of this year, although steel prices have rebounded month by month, with a CSPI of 118.54 points at the end of March, an increase of 2.88% compared to the end of last year, imported iron ore prices have also shown a monthly upward trend during the same period, reaching $117.70 per ton in March, an increase of 27.8% compared to the end of last year.

    The relevant person in charge of the China Steel Association stated that in the next stage, the steel industry will actively adapt to changes in market demand, strive to maintain a dynamic balance between supply and demand, and take multiple measures to promote high-quality development of the industry. According to the plan, we will orderly promote steel transformation projects covering the entire industry, such as "capacity replacement" and "ultra-low emissions". We will strictly supervise and inspect non compliant production capacity, and continue to promote ultra-low emission transformation of steel enterprises.