China's steel exports reached 110.716 million tonnes in 2024, up 22.7 percent on the year, according to data published by the General Administration of Customs on 13 January 2025. It was the second-highest annual total in history, behind only the 112.4 million tonnes shipped in 2015, and the highest in nine years. December exports alone were 9.727 million tonnes, up 4.8 percent from November. The surge came as weak domestic demand, above all the collapse of the property market, pushed mills to sell abroad, while the average export price fell 19.4 percent to about 755 dollars a tonne. China also imported a record 1.24 billion tonnes of iron ore in 2024, up 4.9 percent. The export flood drew a protectionist backlash: dozens of countries, including Turkey, Indonesia and members of the European Union, imposed or prepared anti-dumping duties on Chinese steel, a tension that would shape trade policy through 2025.
Source: Shanghai Metals Market — https://news.metal.com/newscontent/103135385-smm-steel-market-morning-news-chinas-steel-exports-in-2024-reach-110716-million-mt
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