Li said that China's conspicuous consumption of stainless steelin 2001 was about 2.25 million tons, while conspicuous consumptionin the US was 2 million tons and in Japan 1.5 to 1.6 million tons.

China's consumption of stainless steel has been growing at an average rate of 17 percent for the past 10 years, while the world's average growth rate has been 4 percent to 7 percent. In 2000 however China's per capita stainless steel consumption was only 1.4 kg, while the world's per head consumption was 4 kg.

Li said China's stainless steel output had been hovering around300 thousand tons a year for several years since 1990.

The output in 2001 was about 700 thousand tons, but at the sametime 1.6 million tons worth 2.2 billion U.S. dollars was imported.

China is expanding its stainless steel production capacity, which will reach 3 million tons per year in 5 years. The stainlesssteel industry will by then be 80 percent self-sufficient.

Li says China Stainless Steel Council has been and would be devoted to the promotion of the utilization of stainless steel, aswell as to services to and the supervision of stainless steel producers.

(People's Daily April 3, 2002)