Steel product exports down 19.3% in first quarter

China exported 11.39 million tons of steel products during the first three months of 2008, a 19.3% decrease from the same period last year, Dow Jones reported, citing a person familiar with the situation. China imported 4.18 million tons of steel products over the same period, a year-on-year decrease of 2.1%, according to the source. Steel billet exports fell 95% from the first quarter of 2007, while imports declined 37.5%. China’s iron ore imports increased 10.5% during the first quarter, while imports of alumina fell 21.1%.