BEIJING (Reuters) - The China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) on Thursday proposed limiting China's total steel exports and cutting shipments of lower-grade products, in an effort to ensure domestic supply amid the country's efforts to cut carbon emissions.
In a proposal to industry exporters, the steel body said traders should "actively adjust their export strategies and consciously reduce total export volume" to guarantee domestic supplies and reduce energy consumption.
Export firms must resist the temptation to rely on export volumes and high international prices to drive profits and focus on high-end products, shipping less or no ordinary products, the association said in a statement on its website.
Beijing vowed to keep this year's crude steel production at or below than the record 1.065 billion tonnes it churned out in 2020 as China aims to reduce carbon emission from the ferrous sector.
However, surging international commodities prices and robust overseas demand had propelled Chinese steelmakers to crank up output and hike exports although Beijing had adjusted steel tariffs twice this year and removed export tax rebates for around 170 products.
In the first seven months of the year, China exported 43.05 million tonnes of steel products, up 30.9% from the same period a year earlier.
(Reporting by Min Zhang and Shivani Singh; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
