China’s steel exports rose 8.2pct YoY in the first four months of 2025, reaching 37.89 mln tons, according to data from the General Administration of Customs. In April alone, exports grew 13.5pct compared to the same month last year, totaling 10.46 mln tons, remaining largely flat from March.
However, the outlook for exports remains uncertain, with expectations of a slowdown due to increasing protectionist measures by key importing countries such as South Korea and Vietnam.
From January to April 2025, China’s finished steel imports dropped nearly 14pct YoY to 2 mln tons. In April, imports declined 21pct YoY to 552,000 tons but rose 4.2pct month-on-month.
Iron ore imports totaled 338.36 mln tons during the first four months of the year, down 5.5pct from the same period in 2024. In April, iron ore imports rose 1.3pct YoY to 101.8 mln tons, marking a 9.8pct increase compared to March.