China’s steel exports surged 11.4pct YoY in the first seven months of 2025, reaching 67.9 mln tons, according to the General Administration of Customs.
In July alone, exports rose 25.6pct YoY to 9.83 mln tons and were up 1.6pct compared to June.
The export growth comes despite increasing protectionist measures globally. Analysts attribute the rise in part to higher shipments of semi-finished steel products, which face fewer tariffs in several key markets.
On the import side, China’s finished steel imports dropped 15.7pct YoY to around 3.47 mln tons over the January-July period. In July, steel imports decreased by 10.5pct YoY to 452,000 tons.
Iron ore imports in July rose 1.76pct YoY to 105.95 mln tons. However, total imports during June and July slipped 2.3pct YoY to 696.6 mln tons.
