BEIJING/MELBOURNE (Reuters) – China churned out record amounts of steel and aluminum in June as producers rushed to cash-in on rallying prices in the wake of a drive by Beijing to crack down on output of low-grade metal.
That could fuel concerns the world’s top steel producer will export more metal, stoking global oversupply and fanning tensions with the United States after it accused the nation of flooding international markets with cheap aluminum and steel.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to use a Cold War-era law to restrict imports for national security reasons as bilateral talks between Washington and Beijing continue. China has long-denied that it has been offloading metals abroad at the expense of foreign producers.
Chinese steel output last month rose 5.7 percent from the year before to a record 73.23 million tonnes, surpassing April’s all-time high of 72.78 million tonnes, data from the National Statistics Bureau showed on Monday.
Aluminum production jumped 7.4 percent year-on-year to 2.93 million tonnes, exceeding December’s record of 2.89 million tonnes. Export data last week showed steel products shipments fell last month, while aluminum sales abroad were steady.
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