According to the forecast of the Stainless Steel Council of China Special Steel Enterprises Association, China's stainless steel output surged by 11% YoY to 12.5 million tonnes in 2011, hitting the highest level.

Also, SSC predicted that China's exports of stainless steel would reach 2.25 million tonnes in 2011, soared substantially by 46% YoY; however, it estimated that the country's stainless steel imports would drop by 15% YoY to 900,000 tonnes.

Meanwhile, SSC indicated that China's domestic consumption of stainless steel slowed down in 2011, which increased slightly by 3% to 9.65 million tonnes.

(Sourced from www.yieh.com)