PUBLICATIONS & REPORTS

Contents Introduction

This paper examines recent trends in production capacity, product mix, technological modernization, and trade propensity of China’s iron and steel industry, with a particular emphasis on persistent imbalances between supply and demand for products with low and high value-added content. Major reform initiatives to modernize the industry are discussed, including the conversion of state-owned enterprises into corporate entities, and recent efforts to create internationally competitive steel conglomerates around the largest four steel producers in China (Anshan, Baoshan Shougang, and Wuhan). To evaluate the impact of these recent reform initiatives on enterprise efficiency, the paper reviews major studies that examined the efficiency of Chinese steelmakers, and discusses policy implications of these for reforming this chronically underperforming sector of Chinese economy.