Steel exports from China to Latin American countries increased by 3pc to 7mn mt in 2019, compared to the prior year, according to the Latin American Steel Association (Alacero).
The association said in a statement on Friday that rising Chinese exports to the region were hurting the Latin American steel industry. It added that the value of steel exports from China to Latin America had also increased in the past year by 3.5pc to $49.1bn from 2018.
Brazil and Mexico were the main consumers of steel products from China, with 45pc of the total volume imported and 57pc of the total value imported to the region going to these two countries.
Chile received 1.2mn mt of Chinese rolled steel products, representing 20pc of the region’s total, while Peru imported 1.1mn mt, Central American countries imported 1mn mt, and Brazil received 800,000mt from the Asian nation, Alacero noted.
Steel imports by Latin American countries represented 35pc of the region’s steel consumption last year, of which 25pc was shipped from China.
Alacero indicated that anti-dumping investigations increased by 14pc to 74 cases in Latin America last year, from 65 anti-dumping investigations recorded in 2018. Of the total cases, 50 were against China in 2019, up from 42 investigations recorded in the prior year.
The highest number of AD cases against China were filed by Mexico and Brazil, Alacero indicated, with 18 of the 50 cases filed in Mexico and 18 in Brazil.