The Latin American Steel Association (Alacero) has reported that from January to May 2015, Chinese imports of finished steel (including stainless steel) to South America have grown 12 percent, compared to the same period in 2014, reaching a total of 3.8 million tons. Latin America received 9.5 percent of all finished steel imports from China. Only South Korea exceeds this import quantity, receiving 5.2 million tons, which is approximately 13.3 percent.
The main Latin American destinations for Chinese finished steel between January and May 2015 were Brazil (which received 671 thousand tons or 18 percent share of the shipments to the region); Central America received 572 thousand tons (or 15 percent) and Chile with 526 thousand tons (14 percent).