Export license management is implemented for steel Wire Mesh products

At present, China's steel industry is facing unprecedented pressure for transformation. From January to November 2025, China's steel exports reached 107.7 million tons, up 6.7% year-on-year. The annual export volume is expected to reach 115 million tons, surpassing the historical high of 112 million tons in 2015. On the other hand, global trade protectionism continues to heat up. Since 2024, China's steel industry has encountered more than fifty anti-dumping cases, with the number of anti-dumping cases reaching a record high. Against this backdrop, the re-implementation of export license management for some steel products is not only a practical need to respond to changes in the international trade environment, but also a strategic choice to promote the green and low-carbon transformation of the steel industry and optimize the export structure.

Announcement No. 79 of 2025, which restarts the management of export licenses for some steel products, is a precise regulatory policy that combines counter-cyclical adjustment attributes with the characteristics of The Times. The core of it is not a total quantity limit, but rather to break the deadlock of "increased volume but decreased price" and the pressure of trade frictions through the differentiated inclusion of 268 customs commodity numbers, guiding the industry to shift from scale expansion to quality and efficiency improvement. In the short term, low value-added product enterprises may face phased adjustments such as shifting from exports to domestic sales and inventory clearance. In the medium and long term, three major structural changes will be promoted: the export of high energy-consuming and low value-added products will be restricted, the proportion of high-end green steel will gradually increase, and the export proportion of high-end plates is expected to reach 45% by 2030. The market layout expands to emerging markets such as Africa and Latin America, reducing reliance on traditional markets. The competitive landscape of the industry is reshaping, and the advantages of large enterprises are becoming more prominent. The policy not only connects with the previous management framework to ensure stability, but also closely aligns with the "dual carbon" goals and industrial upgrading, compelling enterprises to undergo green transformation and address green trade barriers such as CBAM. In the future, enterprises need to proactively adapt to compliance requirements and accelerate innovation and transformation. The industry will form a virtuous cycle of "export optimization - industrial upgrading - green development", laying a solid foundation for the high-quality developme.