Examining the last ten years of China’s crude steel output and iron ore imports shows that China’s iron ore imports have stayed resilient during each year where China’s crude steel output growth came under notable pressure. Last decade began with China’s crude steel output growing year-on-year by 9% in 2011, and iron ore imports that year grew year-on-year by a robust 11%. However, 2012 then saw crude steel output grow year-on-year by only 3%, but iron ore imports that year still grew year-on-year by 9%. 2013 saw strong growth in both crude steel output and iron ore imports (each grew by 10%), but then 2014 saw crude steel production grow year-on-year by 5%.
However, iron ore imports in 2014 still grew year-on-year by 13%. 2015 then saw China’s crude steel output contract year-on-year by 2%, but iron ore imports that year still grew year-on-year by 2%. 2016 then saw crude steel output grow year-on-year by only 1%, but iron ore imports that year grew year-on-year by 8%. 2017 saw the same growth in both crude steel output and iron ore imports (each grew year-on-year by 5%). As we have been stressing in our work since we started our consultancy in 2010, it is global iron ore production that dictates China’s iron ore import volume. China has long remained content to purchase as much iron ore that exporters want to sell China (as imports are much higher quality than iron ore mined in China). Year after year has continued to show that China’s actual iron ore import demand remains resilient even when crude steel output growth comes under pressure.
2018 and 2019 would then go on to see weakness in iron ore imports, but this was not due to weakness in crude steel output. China’s iron ore imports contracted year-on-year by 2% in 2018 and grew year-on-year by only 1% in 2019, but crude steel output grew year-on-year by 10% in 2018 and by 7% in 2019. It was not weakness in steel output that led to two years of iron ore import weakness
Global iron ore production was not finding significant growth at this time following years of weakness in iron ore prices, and overall global iron ore production was also hit further in 2019 after Vale’s dam collapse in January 2019 (which ended up curtailing Vale’s production). 2020 then ended up seeing China’s crude steel output grow year-on-year by 6% and iron ore imports grow year-on-year by 9%.
Overall, year after year has continued to show that China’s actual iron ore import demand remains resilient even if steel output experiences low growth or even contracts. During the last ten years, there have been three years where China’s crude steel output grew by less than 5% (2012, 2015, and 2016) — and during all of these years China’s annual iron ore imports set new records. This historical fact is not making its way into market consensus. The Chinese government never comes out and states that iron ore imports can find strength even during years where steel output comes under pressure, but this is exactly what history has continued to show. Consuming as much imported iron ore as possible (at the expense of domestically mined iron ore) remains in the very best interest of China’s environment — and fortunately for the Chinese steel sector, the price of iron ore cargoes are now much more attractive.
Source: Commodore Research & Consultancy
https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/dry-bulk-market-global-iron-ore-production-dictates-chinas-iron-ore-import-volume/
