Year-end inventory of major events in China's steel industry in 2025

January

On January 7, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation and other departments issued a notice on the announcement of the pilot list for product carbon footprint labeling certification. The carbon footprint label certification of steel products will be piloted in Tangshan City, Handan City, Hebei Province, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, Yingkou City, Liaoning Province, Anshan City, Dandong City, Fushun City, Baoshan District, Shanghai, Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, and Zhuzhou City.

On January 9, China's Hebei Department of Industry and Information Technology planned to identify 10 application scenarios as pilot digital transformation scenarios for the steel industry in Hebei Province, including Tianjin Iron Works, Puyang Steel, etc.

On January 14, the World Economic Forum announced the 13th batch of "lighthouse factories" list. Beijing Shougang Cold Rolled Sheet Co., Ltd. became the only "lighthouse factory" in China's steel industry on the list.

On January 20, China Hengyang Valin Steel Pipe announced that it would cooperate with Danieli to build the world's largest seamless steel pipe hot rolling production line. The maximum designed pipe diameter of the production line is Φ24 inches, and the annual output is expected to reach 800,000 tons.

February

On February 8, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China released the "Steel Industry Standard Conditions (2025 Edition)". Based on the new stage of high-quality development of the steel industry, we will refine a series of indicators that are in line with the high-quality development of the industry, establish a hierarchical and classified management system, and implement two-level evaluations of "standardized enterprises" and "leading standardized enterprises" for steel companies.

On February 13, Baosteel Co., Ltd., Baowu Aluminum and Kobe Steel jointly established Baosteel Kobelco Automotive Aluminum Plate (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., and the unveiling ceremony was held in Shanghai.

On February 18, Linggang Co., Ltd. received the "Construction Project Construction Permit" issued by the Development Zone Management Committee. The new 2290m³ blast furnace project in its 1#-4# blast furnace equipment upgrade project met the conditions and was approved for construction.

On February 19, Japan's Mitsui & Co., Ltd. announced that it would acquire 40% of Rio Tinto's Rhodes Ridge iron ore project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for US$5.34 billion. The iron ore project has an estimated mineral resource volume of 6.8 billion tons, an initial designed annual production capacity of approximately 40 million tons, and is scheduled to be put into production before 2030.

On February 19, the Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation issued an announcement that the equity structure of Ningbo Baoxin Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. had undergone major adjustments. Japan's Nippon Steel Stainless Steel and Mitsui & Co. have exited through "targeted capital reductions". Taigang Group's shareholding ratio in Ningbo Baoxin increased from 54% to 73.97%.

March

On March 6, Baowu (Jiangxi) Metal New Materials Co., Ltd. was inaugurated, marking the establishment of China's largest metal products company in Xingang.

On March 12, U.S. President Donald Trump’s move to impose a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imported into the United States came into effect.

On March 14, China's National Development and Reform Commission released a report on the implementation of the 2024 National Economic and Social Development Plan and the draft 2025 National Economic and Social Development Plan. It is mentioned that the steel industry will continue to implement crude steel output regulation in 2025 to promote reduction and restructuring of the steel industry.

On March 21, Yongjin Co., Ltd. announced that it plans to jointly invest with its partners to establish Jiada Turkish Metal Manufacturing and Trading Co., Ltd. and invest in the construction of an "annual processing 400,000 tons of cold-rolled stainless steel plate and strip project". The total planned investment in the project is approximately RMB 1.868 billion.

On March 26, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the “Work Plan for the National Carbon Emissions Trading Market to Cover the Steel, Cement, and Aluminum Smelting Industries,” marking the official entry into the implementation stage of expanding industry coverage for China’s carbon emissions trading market for the first time.

On March 28, China Bengang Plate announced that it plans to jointly invest 60 million yuan with related party Anshan Green Gold Industrial Development Co., Ltd. to establish Green Gold (Benxi) Renewable Resources Co., Ltd., of which Bengang Plate will invest 30.6 million yuan and hold 51% of the equity of the joint venture.

April

On April 3, Hunan Iron and Steel Group signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with ArcelorMittal Group to jointly promote the implementation of the VAMA Phase III project and build a global R&D center for automotive steel in Hunan.

On April 11, Hainan International Clearing House launched the "RMB sea-floating iron ore swap" product, which is the first swap product for international trade that is priced and settled in RMB in Hainan Free Trade Port. The product launched this time is an iron ore swap contract settled based on the 62% Australian powder forward spot price index released by Shanghai Ganglian E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and the daily central parity rate of the US dollar against RMB exchange rate announced by the China Foreign Exchange Trading Center.

On April 16, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued a plan to strengthen the management of the list of key emission units. The list of key emission units in the national carbon emissions trading market is formulated annually by industry. Units with annual direct emissions of 26,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in the power generation, steel, cement, and aluminum smelting industries should be included in the list of key emission units.

On April 16, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology organized the 2025 industrial energy conservation supervision work. In accordance with the national mandatory energy consumption limit standards, energy efficiency standards, energy efficiency benchmark levels, benchmark levels and other requirements, energy conservation supervision was carried out for enterprises in steel, refining, ammonia, cement, electrolytic aluminum, data centers and other industries, striving to achieve full coverage of industry enterprises.

On April 24, the first phase of the scrap steel resource recycling project of Baotou Steel Jielian Renewable Resources Processing Co., Ltd. started construction, with an annual scrap steel processing capacity of approximately 670,000 tons.

On April 28, Fushun Special Steel announced that the company planned to absorb and merge its wholly-owned subsidiary Fushun Xinxing Special Steel Plate Co., Ltd.

May

On May 15, Ningxia’s “Autonomous Region Implementation Plan for Promoting High-Quality Development of the Ferroalloy Industry” was reviewed and approved. It is proposed that from 2025 to 2026, the ferroalloy industry should be promoted to accelerate product structure adjustment and strive to achieve output values ​​of 28 billion yuan and 33 billion yuan respectively.

On May 12, Nangang Co., Ltd. announced that the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Jin’an Mining won the exploration rights (exploration rights reserved) of Fanqiao Iron Mine in Huoqiu County, Anhui Province for 920 million yuan.

On May 18, seven ministries including the Ministry of Commerce of China jointly issued a document to accelerate the construction of a recycling system for renewable resources such as used household appliances and furniture, proposing to focus on the construction of a "waste-free city" and develop the deep processing and recycling industry of renewable resources such as scrap metal, waste plastics, and waste paper.

On May 23, Sansteel Minguang announced that according to the notice of the Fujian Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission on the reorganization and establishment of Fujian Provincial Industrial Holding Group Co., Ltd., it plans to establish Fujian Provincial Industrial Holding Group Co., Ltd. as a provincial enterprise. 80% of Fujian Metallurgical's equity directly held by the Fujian Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission will be injected into the Provincial Industrial Control Group, and Fujian Metallurgical will serve as a subsidiary of the Provincial Industrial Control Group.

June

On June 1, the world's first "5600mm+5500mm double ultra-wide frame" was fully connected at Henan Iron and Steel Group, which can roll ship-grade giant plates with a width of 5300mm and a thickness of 300mm, completely breaking through the production capacity bottleneck of ultra-wide special steel plates.

On June 3, U.S. President Trump announced that he would increase tariffs on imported steel, aluminum and their derivatives from 25% to 50%. This tariff policy will take effect at 00:01 a.m. Eastern Time on June 4, 2025. U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from the United Kingdom will remain at 25%.

On June 6, the Western Range Iron Ore Project (Western Range Iron Ore Project) jointly developed by Rio Tinto Group and Baowu Resources announced that it was officially put into production. The project can produce up to 25 million tons of iron ore per year, with a total production capacity of 130 million tons, and an average iron grade of approximately 62%.

On June 9, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued new standards for scrap steel imports. The performance index requirements of recycled steel raw materials have changed, and inclusions and other important indicators have been further rationalized.

On June 12, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that it would impose additional tariffs on a variety of steel household appliances starting from June 23, including "steel derivatives" such as dishwashers, washing machines, and refrigerators.

On June 13, U.S. President Trump officially approved Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel. On June 18, Nippon Steel Corporation announced that it had completed the acquisition of U.S. Steel Corporation and made it a wholly-owned subsidiary.

On June 15, Linggang Co., Ltd. announced that in order to improve management efficiency, reduce operating costs, and reduce the number of loss-making enterprises, the company plans to exit its wholly-owned subsidiary Linggang Co., Ltd. Beipiao Steel Pipe Co., Ltd. through a merger.

On June 26, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued an implementation plan for industrial and information green and low-carbon standardization work, deploying three major actions: product carbon footprint accounting and comprehensive resource utilization standards; standard innovation leadership in the fields of green and low-carbon industries and digital-green collaboration; and energy and water conservation, and standard improvement and update in the field of green manufacturing.

On June 27, Maanshan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. completed the industrial and commercial registration change. Baosteel Co., Ltd. obtained 49% of the equity of Maanshan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. through equity transfer + capital increase.

On June 27, the Canadian government announced that it would implement new tariff quotas for steel mill products imported from “non-free trade agreement partner” economies. Its tariff quota is set at 2.6 million tons, the 2024 import level. For steel imported from the above-mentioned sources exceeding the 2024 level, Canada will impose a 50% surtax.

July

On July 3, the chairman of Tsingshan Group and the chairman of POSCO of South Korea formally signed an equity transfer agreement for Pohang (Zhangjiagang) Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. and Qingdao Pohang Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. in Seoul.

On July 30, the China Metal Materials Circulation Association issued the "Initiative on Resisting "Involutionary Competition" and Promoting the Scientific and Orderly Development of the Steel Circulation Industry." The proposal proposes to abandon "involutionary" vicious competition and resolutely resist unfair means such as dumping below cost price, slandering goodwill, and stealing trade secrets.

August

On August 15, Tsingshan Holding Group announced an additional investment of US$800 million in its steel plant in Zimbabwe through its subsidiary Dingsen Steel Company to increase the annual crude steel production capacity from 600,000 tons to 1.2 million tons.

On August 19, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that 407 product categories would be included in the steel and aluminum tariff list, with an applicable tax rate of 50%. The new list covers a wide range of products, including wind turbines and their components, mobile cranes, railway vehicles, furniture, compressors and pump equipment and hundreds of other products.

On August 28, Baosteel Co., Ltd. announced that it would invest 3.085 billion yuan in cash to increase its wholly-owned subsidiary Baosteel Pipe Industry Technology Co., Ltd. Baosteel Pipe Industry will use 3.085 billion yuan in cash to wholly establish Baosteel Steel Pipe (Maanshan) Technology Co., Ltd. and implement the Baosteel Seamless Steel Pipe Quality Base Project (Phase I). The total project investment is 4.96 billion yuan (including tax).

On August 28, the second phase of Jiyuan Steel’s capacity replacement project—the large-scale technological transformation project of steelmaking system equipment—started. With a total investment of 2.5 billion to 3 billion yuan, inefficient equipment will be eliminated and a new 104-ton converter, 55-ton electric furnace and supporting refining and continuous casting system will be built.

September

On September 5, Guangxi issued an action plan for air pollution prevention and control in the autumn and winter of 2025-2026 (draft for comments), which mentioned promoting the implementation of ultra-low emission transformation projects in key industries such as steel, cement, and coking supported by the central atmospheric special funds. Liuzhou, Wuzhou, Beihai, Fangchenggang, Guigang, Yulin and other cities have accelerated the full-process ultra-low emission transformation of long-process steel enterprises. Before the end of 2025, all the projects included in the ultra-low emission transformation plan for Guangxi's steel industry and the annual plans for ultra-low emission transformation in our region's cement and coking industries will be completed.

On September 7, Tianjin Youfa Steel Pipe Group Huaming Pipe Industry Northeast Regional Partner Conference was held. This time Youfa Group controls Jilin Huaming Pipe Industry through equity acquisition, marking the official implementation of the group's strategic layout in the Northeast region.

On September 15, Ningxia issued the "Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution in Winter and Spring in the Region from 2025 to 2026 (Draft for Comments)", which mentioned that by the end of December 2025, three steel companies including Ningxia Jianlong and Xinghua Steel will complete the transformation of all key projects and accelerate assessment and monitoring in accordance with technical guidelines.

On September 22, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other departments jointly issued the "Steel Industry Stable Growth Work Plan (2025-2026)", which clarified that the average annual growth target of the added value of the steel industry in the next two years is set at around 4%. The plan takes "stabilizing growth and preventing involution" as its core and points out the implementation path for the structural adjustment and high-quality development of China's steel industry.

October

On October 13, the World Steel Association released the latest version (2025-2026) of the Steel Short-term Demand Forecast Report (SRO). It is expected that global steel demand in 2025 will be the same as in 2024, reaching approximately 1.75 billion tons; in 2026, global steel demand will rebound moderately by 1.3%, reaching 1.772 billion tons.

On October 14, China’s National Development and Reform Commission issued the “Special Management Measures for Central Budgetary Investment in Energy Saving and Carbon Reduction.” The "Measures" mention energy conservation and carbon reduction projects in key industries. Support energy-saving and carbon-reduction transformation in key industries such as electricity, steel, nonferrous metals, building materials, petrochemicals, chemicals, and machinery.

On October 20, Bengang Plate announced that the company planned to conduct an asset swap with Benxi Iron and Steel (Group) Co., Ltd., and the assets to be placed into the company were 100% equity of Benxi Iron and Steel (Group) Mining Co., Ltd.

On October 24, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China publicly solicited opinions on the "Implementation Measures for Capacity Replacement in the Steel Industry (Draft for Comment)". The draft opinion points out that it is strictly prohibited to add total steel production capacity in key areas, to transfer steel production capacity from non-key areas to key areas, and to transfer steel production capacity between different key areas. The replacement ratio of ironmaking and steelmaking capacity in all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) shall not be less than 1.5:1.

Sinosteel Stainless Steel Pipe is one of largest Manufacturer and Supplier of Stainless Steel Pipe and Special Alloy Pipe in china.

On October 24, Shandong Iron and Steel announced that the company planned to sign an "Equity Transfer Agreement" with Laigang Group and purchase 100% of the equity of Yinshan Section Steel held by Laigang Group with its own cash through a non-public agreement transfer.

On October 30, the "Action Plan for Quality Improvement and Upgrading of the Henan Iron and Steel Industry" was issued. It is mentioned that accelerating corporate restructuring and integration. Support advantageous enterprises inside and outside the province to integrate steel resources in the province through capital increase and shareholding, cross-share swap, mixed ownership reform and other methods. Encourage small and medium-sized steel enterprises to innovate cooperation methods and implement reduction and restructuring.

November

On November 16, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment stated that with the approval of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the third and fifth batch of central ecological and environmental protection inspections were fully launched. Routine inspections will be carried out in the three provinces (cities) of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, as well as Anshan Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd., China Baowu Steel Group Co., Ltd., China Coal Energy Group Co., Ltd. and other central enterprises, and will be stationed for one month.

On November 17, China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the "2024 and 2025 National Carbon Emissions Trading Market Total Quota Quota and Allocation Plan for the Steel, Cement, and Aluminum Smelting Industries." The plan established three major principles for quota allocation in the steel industry, namely goal orientation, progress while maintaining stability, and market leadership. The goal orientation principle requires scientifically formulated quota rules based on the national "double carbon" goals, industry development stages, and carbon emission data base.

December

On December 5, the China State Administration for Market Regulation announced the release of the "General Rules for the Implementation of Industrial Product Production Licenses" and the detailed rules for the implementation of 24 types of industrial product production licenses such as hot-rolled steel bars for reinforced concrete, which will be implemented from April 1, 2026.

On December 8, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China announced (the thirteenth batch) a list of companies that meet the "Access Conditions for the Scrap Steel Processing Industry", with 84 new companies added to the list.

On December 12, Xinxing Cast Pipe announced that Wuhu Xinxing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, planned to acquire 100% equity of Jiangyin China Resources Steel for 1.244 billion yuan. After the transaction is completed, Wuhu Xinxing will fully take over the production and operation of China Resources Steel.

On December 12, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs decided to adjust the "Catalogue of Goods Subject to Export License Management (2025)" and include some steel products in the catalog. Effective from January 1, 2026.

On December 17, Anyang Steel announced that the company had sold its 78.1372% stake in Anyang Group Yongtong Ductile Iron Pipe Co., Ltd. and Anyang Yuhe Yongtong Pellet Co., Ltd. to its controlling shareholder Anyang Steel Group Co., Ltd. respectively. The equity transfer price was 837 million yuan. After the transaction is completed, the company will no longer hold equity in Yongtong Company and Yuhe Company.

On December 23, China’s first million-ton near-zero carbon steel production line was fully operational at Baosteel Co., Ltd.’s Zhanjiang Iron and Steel Co., Ltd.

On December 29, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council of China released the "2026 Tariff Adjustment Plan", which will be implemented from January 1, 2026. According to the plan, my country will implement temporary import tax rates lower than the most-favored nation tax rate for 935 commodities. Tariffs on steel, coal, copper, aluminum and other commodities have been announced.