Suppliers' strong influence

This year's 9.5 percent price increase is expected to be absorbed through freight.
But experts warned the "leading position" in the 2007 negotiations does not mean everything.

Another price increase after rises over four consecutive years implied that suppliers still enjoy a stronger influence on the global market than buyers, said Xu Xiangchun, an analyst with Beijing Langesteel Information Consultation.

The three largest suppliers, CVRD from Brazil and Australia's BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, control over 70 percent of the global iron ore trade.

When sellers talked about increasing capacity, the Australian firms had no plan to expand capacity in the near future.

Meanwhile, China's imports are expected to grow 9.2 percent this year. The Chinese steel-making industry is taking steps to reduce its dependence on these major miners.

Steelmakers and trading companies have had to apply for iron ore import licenses since 2005 to cut China's iron ore importers from 523 in 2004 to 118. The number is expected to decrease further this year as the import rules are tightened.

Official figures show large domestic mines produced 521 million tons of iron ore in the first 11 months of 2006, up 38.2 percent year-on-year, easing the tight market situation.

A number of steelmakers moved their factories to port cities last year to lower transport costs.

Shanghai Baosteel has built a new steel factory in the southern city of Zhanjiang. Wuhan Iron and Steel Corp has built a modern iron and steel works in Fangchenggang, also in South China.

Angang Steel Co has new plants in Yingkou in Northeast China. And another steel giant, Shougang Group based in Beijing, will complete its massive relocation to Tangshan, Hebei Province, by the end of 2010.

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