China’s steel exports rose nearly 9pct YoY in the first five months of 2025, reaching 48.47 mln tons, according to the General Administration of Customs. In May alone, exports grew 9.9pct YoY to 10.58 mln tons, also marking a 1.15pct increase from April. This was the third consecutive month that monthly steel exports exceeded 10 mln tons.
In May 2025, China’s finished steel imports decreased by 24.5pct YoY to 481,000 tons, with total imports in the January-May period down 16.1pct to 2.55 mln tons.
China’s iron ore imports also declined. May imports totaled 98.13 mln tons, down from 103.14 mln tons in April and 102.03 mln tons in May 2024. For the first five months of 2025, iron ore imports fell 5.2pct YoY to 486.41 mln tons.