China News Agency, Beijing, April 25 (reporter Ruan Yulin) – Qu Xiuli, vice president and Secretary General of China Iron and Steel Industry Association, said in Beijing on the 25th that since the beginning of this year, the operation of China’s iron and steel industry has been generally stable and achieved a good start in the first quarter.

For the operation of the iron and steel industry in the first quarter of this year, Qu Xiuli said that due to the superposition of multiple factors such as staggered peak production in the heating season, scattered and frequent outbreaks of epidemics and limited circulation of personnel and materials, the market demand is relatively weak and the iron and steel production is at a low level.

Official data show that in the first quarter, China’s pig iron output was 201 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 11.0%; The steel output was 243 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 10.5%; Steel output was 312 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 5.9%. From the perspective of daily output level, in the first quarter, China’s average daily output of steel was 2.742 million tons, although it decreased significantly year-on-year, but it was higher than the average daily output of 2.4731 million tons in the fourth quarter of last year.

According to the monitoring of China Iron and Steel Industry Association, in the first quarter, steel prices in the domestic market fluctuated upward. The average value of China steel price index (CSPI) was 135.92 points, up 4.38% year-on-year. At the end of March, China’s steel price index was 138.85 points, up 2.14% month on month and 1.89% year-on-year.

Qu Xiuli said that in the next stage, the steel industry will do a good job in epidemic prevention and control, actively adapt to market changes, fully complete the three key tasks of fulfilling the mission of ensuring supply, realizing the self-development of the steel industry and actively driving relevant industries to achieve common prosperity, and strive to promote the high-quality development of the steel industry to make new progress.

At the same time, efforts should be made to ensure the stable operation of the industry. Actively take effective measures to ensure the realization of the goal of “year-on-year decline in crude steel output in the whole year”. In accordance with the requirements of “stabilizing production, ensuring supply, controlling costs, preventing risks, improving quality and stabilizing benefits”, closely track the changes of domestic and foreign markets, continue to strengthen the monitoring and analysis of economic operation, take the balance of supply and demand as the goal, strengthen industry self-discipline, maintain supply elasticity, and strive to promote the stable operation of the whole industry on the basis of ensuring supply and stable price.