The International Iron and Steel Institute
forecast that China would account for 215m
tonnes out of the world's total consumption
of 841m tonnes in 2003. The institute said
that China's demand for steel appeared to be
accelerating, in contrast to the sluggish
growth elsewhere in the world. The mainland's
consumption was predicted to
increase by 10.3 per cent in 2003, compared
with 3.4 per cent in the rest of the world.