中國鋼企上半年利潤同比驟降96%

Chinese steelmakers' profits plunged by 96 per cent in the first half compared with a year ago, a Chinese official said yesterday, as the economic slowdown turned the industry into a "disaster zone".

一位中國官員昨日表示，今年上半年中國鋼企利潤同比驟降96%。經濟增長放緩使鋼鐵業變成"重災區"。

Zhu Jimin, chairman of the China Iron and Steel Association, said in a speech posted on the association's website that the aggregate profit of the nation's steelmakers fell to Rmb2.39bn ($379m) in the first half year due to falling demand and rising costs.

中國鋼鐵工業協會(China Iron and Steel Association)會長朱繼民在該協會網站貼出的一篇演講中表示，由於需求疲弱和原燃料價格處於高位，上半年會員鋼鐵企業累計利潤跌至23.9億元人民幣（合3.79億美元）。

Chinese companies have issued profit warnings as the slight downturn in economic growth has had a disproportionate effect on profits. The China Securities Journal, an official newspaper, described the steel industry as the "main disaster zone" in the downturn, with 80 per cent of listed steel producers warning that their results will be worse than forecast.

近期中國企業接連發布盈利預警。經濟增長輕度放緩對企業利潤造成超出比例的影響。官方的《中國證券報》(China Securities Journal)形容鋼鐵行業爲"重災區"，80%的上市鋼材生產商警告稱，它們的業績將遜於預測。

"The first half saw a big drop in investments in property and also in railways, cars and ships, so demand for steel has weakened," Mr Zhu said.

朱繼民表示："今年上半年由於國家實施嚴格的房地產調控政策，以及鐵路、公路等基礎設施建設項目投資大幅回落，因此鋼材需求疲軟。"

Shipping industry production dropped 10.1 per cent year on year while auto production grew by only 6.7 per cent in the first half, depressing demand for steel.

造船完工量同比下降10.1%，同時上半年汽車產量同比只增長6.7%，削弱了對鋼材的需求。

He said that the cost of iron ore had soared, rising to $153 per tonne in May from $136 at the end of last year. Rising costs are one important reason for falling steelmaker profits, said Hou Zhiyun, analyst at Beijing Lange Steel Information Research, with ore prices rising sixfold from 2003 to 2011.

朱繼民表示，進口鐵礦石價格從去年底每噸136.3美元，漲至5月中旬的153美元。北京蘭格鋼鐵信息研究中心(Beijing Lange Steel Information Research)分析師侯志芸表示，成本不斷上升是鋼企利潤不斷下降的一個重要原因。從2003年到2011年，鐵礦石價格上漲了6倍。

She said: "China relies too much on imported iron ore . . . and with three large state-owned companies dominating importation of ore, steelmakers have seen the cost of raw materials increasing."

侯志芸表示："中國過度依賴進口鐵礦石……而且在三大國有企業主宰鐵礦石進口的情況下，鋼企發現原材料價格日益上漲。"

She added that conditions in the first half of this year had been particularly bad because of the European economic crisis and the fall in global steel demand from the construction and shipping industries, as well as the slowing of China's economy.

她補充稱，由於歐洲經濟危機和全球建築和造船工業對鋼材需求下降，加上中國經濟放緩，今年上半年形勢尤其嚴峻。

"From the beginning of this year, the economy has begun to slow, however production capacity in the steel industry has kept on expanding," she said, noting that industry capacity is expected to reach 900m tons this year.

侯志芸稱："自今年初以來，中國經濟開始放緩，然而鋼鐵行業的產能繼續擴張。"她指出，預計今年鋼鐵行業的產能將達到9億噸。

"Since supply exceeds demand, then steel products' prices have dropped." The situation has left Chinese steelmakers burdened by debt.

"由於供大於求，因此鋼材產品的價格下降"。這種形勢讓中國鋼企負債累累。

Profits are under pressure outside the steel industry, too. Margins at state-owned enterprises, the giants of the Chinese economy, fell 11.6 per cent in the first six months of the year from the same period in 2011, the weakest showing since the global financial crisis erupted in late 2008.

鋼鐵業以外的其它行業也面臨利潤壓力。中國經濟中的巨人——國有企業利潤今年上半年同比下降11.6%，爲2008年末全球金融危機爆發以來最爲疲弱的表現。