Although China retains its pricing edge, global trade protectionism has intensified. Since September, many countries have introduced restrictive measures, increasing uncertainty for Chinese steel exports.
- Sept 1: Indonesia launched an anti-dumping investigation against hot-rolled coil imports from Wuhan Iron & Steel (Group) Corporation.
- Sept 10: Egypt initiated safeguard investigations on cold-rolled, galvanized, and pre-painted steel, followed by a temporary safeguard duty on hot-rolled coil (6% of CIF value or at least EGP 3,673/ton) on Sept 14.
- Sept 22: Vietnam initiated an anti-circumvention investigation on Chinese hot-rolled coils with widths between 1,880–2,300 Notably, Vietnam already imposed a 23.01%–27.83% anti-dumping duty on Chinese HRC (≤1,880 mm width) from July 6, 2025, for a five-year term.
- Oct 7: The European Commission announced unprecedented import control measures to replace its current safeguard mechanism in June 2026:
- Quota halved – Annual duty-free import quota reduced to 18.3 million tons, down 47% from 2024.
- Tariff doubled – Out-of-quota duty raised to 50% (from 25%).
- Enhanced traceability – Importers must declare steel’s original melting and casting location to prevent circumvention and improve traceability.
Source : Steelhome
