Steel output in China sinks to lowest level in six months

Output falls: A file picture shows workers walking in a warehouse in the Han-steel plant in China. Chinese steel output fell to 71.83 million tonnes in September from 74.59 million tonnes the month before. — AFP

SINGAPORE: Steel output in China sank from a record, sliding to the lowest level in at least six months, as the anti-pollution drive touted in President Xi Jinping’s landmark policy address this week began to make its mark.

Output fell to 71.83 million tonnes in September from 74.59 million tonnes the month before, according to the statistics bureau yesterday, a day after Xi’s speech to the Communist Party congress reaffirmed his commitment to rolling back environmental abuse. Over nine months, production was still higher than in 2016, rising 6.3% to 639 million tonnes, the figures showed.