Xia Nong, Deputy Director-General of the National Development and Reform Commission's Department of Industrial Policies, has said Chinese firms do not dump their steel products in the global market, and therefore should not be the subject of trade dispute duties with other countries.

Furthermore, Xia emphasized that the very competitive pricing offered by China's steel exporters is not the result of Chinese government subsidies, and that those companies should not therefore suffer additional anti-subsidy countervailing duties (CVDs).

The low pricing of Chinese exports, he said, is the result of Chinese steel manufacturers investing in the latest technology and most efficient plant. That investment, he added, has significantly reduced Chinese steel production costs. He noted that the average export price for China's steel sheets in 2015 was RMB3,670 (USD554) per ton, while domestic steel sheets were priced at a maximum of RMB3,600 per ton.

In addition, Xia confirmed that the Government is actively working to reduce obsolete steel overcapacity and urged other countries to take similar measures, rather than resorting to trade protectionism.

Xia made his remarks as some countries, and particularly the United States, continue to conduct anti-dumping (AD) and CVD investigations against Chinese steel exports.