The Latin American Steel Association (Alacero) has reported that South America has received 3.2 million tons of finished steel, which is more than 10 percent of China´s total exports, between January and April 2015. During that same period China exported a total of 31.2 million tons of finished steel to the world.
Compared to the same period of time as 2014, Latin America’s imports from China have risen to 29 percent during the first quarter of the year. Only South Korea–which received 4.1 million tons surpassed Latin America as a destination for the steel exports from China. In April 2015, Latin America received 822 thousand tons of finished steel from China, 17 percent more than in March 2015 (700 thousand tons) and 26 percent more than in April 2014 (652 thousand tons).
In the first four months of the year, imports of finished from China increased more sharply (versus same period of 2014) in Cuba (increase of 600 percent), Argentina (453 percent), Dominican Republic (167 percent) and Mexico (104 percent). Argentina, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, however, imported volumes remained very low.