By Bilal Sabri
July 27, 2020
BEIJING – The 11th China Iron and Steel Development Forum contemplated upon the new challenges and opportunities being faced by the iron and steel industry under the COVID-19 pandemic.
The theme of the session was “insisting on supply-side structural reforms and strengthening the construction of the iron and steel industrial chain in the post-epidemic period” and the President of the China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, Fan Tiejun, presided over the meeting.
Contrary to previous years, the session was held online this year and lasted more than eight hours attracting nearly 4,200 visitors, who could directly enter the broadcasting room to participate in the meetings, discussions and were able to leave messages on situation analysis, policy interpretation, experience sharing.
This year, the forum focused on the hot issues such as the high-quality development of the industry, the improvement of corporate competitiveness, the construction of the basic industrial capacity, the industrial chain safety guarantee, market demand, policy orientation, technological innovation, intelligent manufacturing, international capacity cooperation, among other things.
The speakers agreed that the convening of the forum has established a good communication platform for scientifically planning the high-quality development strategic direction and technical path of the iron and steel industry under the new situation. They were of the opinion that the meetings have been playing a positive role in further enhancing the development vitality of steel enterprises and comprehensively enhancing their competitiveness.
The 2020 meeting, which was held at the last moment of the 13th Five-Year Plan and at the planning stage of the 14th Five-Year Plan was sponsored by the Engineering Management Department of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute.
It was co-sponsored by Jingye Group Co. Ltd and co-organized by HBIS Group Co. Ltd, Shanghai Futures Exchange and Beijing Jianlong Heavy Industry Group Co. Ltd.
Director of the Engineering Management Department of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Hu Wenrui, delivered the opening speech while the Chairman of the World Steel Association and Chairman of the Board of HBIS Group Co. Ltd, Yu Yong, and the President of the council of Shanghai Futures Exchange, Jiang Yan, congratulated the participants, organizers and sponsors on the opening of the forum in their speeches.
The other guests included Xia Nong, the first-class Inspector of the Industrial Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, Lv Guixin, the first-class Inspector of the former Raw Material Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Wang Yiming, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, who is also a member of Economic Committee and the former Deputy Director of the Development Research Center of the State Council.
Yin Ruiyu, the Deputy Minister of the former Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Honorary President of the Central Iron & Steel Research Institute; Gan Yong, the former Vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Mao Xinping, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and other government leaders and academician experts also delivered speeches on unswervingly and deeply advancing the supply-side structural reform of the iron and steel industry.
They said that improving the replacement of steel production capacity, promoting the high-quality development of the industry; the high-quality development trend of China’s economy; the strategic significance of China’s development of electric furnace processes; the development trend of intelligent manufacturing in China’s iron and steel industry and the near net shape manufacturing technology and advanced steel materials were the areas that the forum should focused upon.
Shen Bin, President of the China Iron and Steel Association, Vice President of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and Secretary of the Party Committee of Shagang Group; Liu Mingzhong, the Secretary of the Party Committee and the Chairman of the Board of China First Heavy Industries; Qian Gang, the Secretary of the Party Committee and the Chairman of the Board of CITIC Pacific Special Steel Holdings; Ding Liguo, the Chairman of the Board of Delong Group and New Tianjin Iron & Steel Group; Li Huiming, the General Manager of Jingye Group Co., Ltd.; Li Yiren, Deputy General Manager of HBIS Group Co., Ltd.; Feng Xiazong, Senior Manager of Commodity Department I of Shanghai Futures Exchange; Li Xinchuang, the Secretary of the Party Committee and the Chief Engineer of China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute delivered keynote speeches.
Their speeches highlighted the double main business transformation practice of “iron & steel + data center” and the system and mechanism innovation practice prospects of China First Heavy Industries while adhering to the original intention and building the world’s leading special steel company.
They argued in favor of unlocking the “difficulties” in mixed reform and reorganization of the world’s top 500 companies. In addition, they said, the practice of Jingye Group’s cross-border reorganization to promote the high-quality development of enterprises and the strategic consideration of HBIS to improve its competitiveness and move towards high-quality development were inspiring developments for others.
Improving the future’s instruments to serve the iron and steel industry and the development trend of China’s iron and steel industry in the 14th Five-Year Plan were other hot topics that were discussed during the 11th session.
Renowned media outlets paid extensive attention to the Forum’s meeting and the China Metallurgical Planning Network provided network support for the Forum.
The media outlets included People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, Guangming Daily, Economic Daily, CNR, China News Service, China Daily, Workers Daily, China Industry News, Chinese Science News, Science and Technology Daily, China Economic Herald, China Mining News, China Securities Journal, China National Conditions and Strength, The Economic Observer, Economic Information Daily, Modern Logistics News, China Metallurgical News, World Metal Guide, China Business Network, Sina Finance, caixin.com, Yidianzixun, Taike Iron & Steel and huanqiu.com, Reuters, Metal Bulletin, Rossiya Segodnya, China Branch of The Cambodia Daily, The Star and other domestic and foreign media.