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Global overcapacity challenge still exists

2020-01-09

ArecentreportbytheOrganizationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment(OECD)warnsthatexcesscapacityoutsideChinaisaffectingtheglobalsteelindustry'srecovery.Internationalobserversbelievethatovercapacityinsteelandotherindustriesisaglobalproblem.Chinahascutcapacityinthepasttwoyearstohelptheglobalsteelandotherindustriesrecoverfromthedownturncausedbyovercapacity.Inthefuture,countriesshouldcontinuetostrengthencommunicationandcooperationtocollectivelyaddressthechallengeofovercapacity.. Thechallengeofglobalovercapacitystillexists AccordingtoareportreleasedbytheOECD'sIronandSteelCommittee,globalsteelmakingcapacityinthefirsthalfof2017was2.36billiontons,aslightdecreaseof0.6%from2.37billiontonsinthesameperiodof2016.Amongthem,theMiddleEast,SouthAmerica,andotherEuropeancountriesexcepttheEuropeanUnionandotherregionshavenoticeableincreasesinsteelproductioncapacity."Theexcesscapacityisataworryinglyhighlevel,"saidLivenTop,chairmanofthesteelcommission. Thisreportpredictsthatfrom2017to2019,theglobalsteelproductioncapacitywillincreasebynearly40milliontons,ofwhichtheMiddleEastwilladdabout23milliontons. AlistairRamsay,directorofAmericanMetalsMarketResearch,saidthatincreasingsteelproductioncapacityinanyregionmayposesignificantriskstofuturesteelpricingandprofits. AccordingtotheOECDreport,globalsteeldemandwillpickupinthefuture,butitwillnotbeenoughtodigestthecurrentexcesscapacity.AnalystChrisHoldenoftheBritishCommodityResearchInstitutealsoexpectsthatglobaldemandgrowthwillnotbesufficienttoprovideareasonablebasisfornewcapacity. LiBo,avisitingresearcherattheCenterforInternationalChineseStudiesatAichiUniversityinJapan,saidinaninterviewwithXinhuaNewsAgencythattheglobalovercapacityproblemisstillveryserious.Itismainlyconcentratedintraditionalindustriessuchassteel,non-ferrousmetals,andrubber,whicharemainlybasedonrawmaterialprocessing.Themarketanddevelopingcountrieshaveconcentratedexcesscapacity. China'soutstandingcontributiontocapacityreduction Overcapacityisacyclicalphenomenonundermarketeconomicconditionsandastructuralproblem.Sincetheoutbreakoftheinternationalfinancialcrisis,thedeclineintheworldeconomyhascauseddemandtoshrink,whichistherootcauseofthecurrentglobalovercapacityinindustriessuchassteel. Overseasexpertsalsopointedoutthataftertheinternationalfinancialcrisis,manycountrieshaveadoptedlarge-scaleeconomicstimulusmeasures,givingprioritytothedevelopmentofsteel,petrochemicalandotherindustries,butlimitedtechnologicalinvestment,resultinginexcessivelow-endcapacity,insufficienthigh-endcapacity,andstructuralexcesscapacity. SomeWesternpoliticiansandcompaniesarekeentoblameChinaforovercapacity,whichisneitherobjectivenorfair.Infact,inrecentyears,Chinahastakentheinitiativetotakethesupply-sidestructuralreformasthemainlinetodigestandeliminateexcesscapacitysuchassteelandcoal,whichhascontributedtotheinternationalcommunity. China'seffortstoreduceproductioncapacityareuniqueintheworld.OfficialdatashowthatChinawithdrewmorethan65milliontonsofsteelcapacitylastyear,andthisyearithasreduceditsoutputbyabout50milliontons.ChinaIronandSteelIndustryAssociationstatedthatChinahasbasicallyachievedthetargetofreducingovercapacityof100millionto150milliontonswithinfiveyearssetlastyear. EdwinBassoon,directorgeneraloftheWorldSteelAssociation,saidthatChinahasplayedaprominentroleinreducingexcessproductioncapacityglobally.Inthepasttwoyears,ChinahasreduceditsproductioncapacitytothesamelevelastheUnitedStates. InaninterviewwithXinhuaNewsAgencyreporter,Ramsaysaidthattheglobalexcesssteelproductioncapacityhascontinuedtodeclinesincetheendof2015,andChinahascontributed. China'soutstandingperformanceincapacityreductionisduetothegovernment'saccurategraspoftrendsanditsstrongexecutioncapacity.XiongYu,atenuredprofessorattheNewcastleSchoolofBusinessatNorthumbriaUniversityintheUnitedKingdom,saidthatcomparedwithmostcountries,Chinahasimplementedrelevantmeasuresmoreaccuratelyandeffectively,andhasimplemented"digestingabatch,transferringabatch,integratingabatch,eliminatingabatch"Thecorrectpath. SergeiLukkonen,directoroftheChineseMinistryofEconomicsandPoliticalAffairsoftheInstituteofWorldEconomicsandInternationalRelationsoftheRussianAcademyofSciences,saidthatChinaiscompressingandeliminatingbackwardproductioncapacityandimprovingthelevelofproductiontechnology.ChinahascompletedthisprocessandcooperatedwithothercountriestoachievetransnationalEnvironmentalproductionwillcreateahighvalue-addedinternationalindustrialchainwithbetterproductionefficiency. Strengthencooperationisthesolution Overcapacityinsteelandotherindustriesisaglobalproblem.Ontheroadtoglobalcapacityreduction,allpartiesneedtorespondcollectively,shareresponsibility,andacttogether,ratherthanblameeachotherorevenbuildahighwallofprotectionism. Inthefaceofglobalovercapacity,overseasexpertshavecalledoncountriestostrengthencommunicationandcooperationandtakeeffectivemeasurestoenhancemarketmediationfunctions.GuoShengxiang,directoroftheAustralianInstituteofInnovationandFinance,saidthatthereisanOrganizationofPetroleumExportingCountriesintheoilsector,andtheresho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