Beijing, July 11: China remained the world's top steel maker for seven consecutive years in 2002 and this year the country is set to produce over 200 million tonnes, an official newspaper reported today. According to a forecast by the China Iron and Steel Industry Association, China's steel production this year may grow by over 10 per cent to more than 200 million tonnes, with the total steel consumption rising by over 12 per cent.
In 2002, China produced 182.24 million tonnes of steel, representing an increase of 31.22 million tonnes, or 20.67 per cent, from the previous year, 'Economic Information Daily' quoted the latest statistics released by the association.
The report said that over 60 per cent of the country's steel, iron and rolled steel was produced by enterprises based in the east and north of China last year, such as Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Hubei and Shandong.
The report also pointed out that China has surpassed the United States to become the world's top importer of rolled steel.
China imported 24.49 million tonnes of rolled steel last year, up 42.23 per cent from that of 2001, and the volume is second only to the country's record import of 30.26 million tonnes in 1993. Bureau Report