价格滑坡致中国40%铁矿停产

The Chinese iron ore and steel industry has painted a gloomy outlook for the sector with officials revealing that roughly 40 per cent of the country's iron mines have shut down because of low prices.

中国铁矿石及钢铁业为自己描绘了一幅黯淡的前景，官员们透露，由于价格偏低，中国大约40%的铁矿已经停产。

The bearish tone at the annual gathering backed by the China Iron and Steel Association was reinforced yesterday by Baosteel, China's biggest listed steelmaker, which announced more production cuts amid weak demand.

中国最大上市炼钢企业宝钢(Baosteel)昨日宣布，面对疲弱需求，将进一步减产，这个消息强化了中国钢铁工业协会(CISA)主办的年度会议上的悲观基调。

The cutbacks suggest that the industry has little faith that the $150bn programme in infrastructure projects that Beijing approved this month would provide more than temporary relief.

宝钢的减产计划似乎表明，行业对北京方面本月批准的1500亿美元基建项目计划没有什么信心，认为其最多只能提供暂时的缓解。

Iron ore and steel prices rose after the spending boost was approved but have since fallen again.

铁矿石和钢材价格在上述支出增加计划获得批准后一度上升，但自那以来已经回落。

Over the past decade, China's steel demand has seen double-digit growth but this has dropped to the low single-digits this year.

过去10年期间，中国的钢材需求以两位数增幅不断增长，但今年已降至个位数增幅。

As a result, overall profits at Chinese steel companies – which include names such as Baosteel, Ansteeland Wuhan Iron and Steel– fell 50 per cent in the first half of this year compared with last year, according to official statistics.

其结果是，官方统计数据显示，今年上半年中国炼钢企业（包括宝钢、鞍钢和武钢）的总利润同比下降50%。

The drop in steel demand in China has, in turn, triggered a drop in iron ore and coking coal consumption, which is hurting some of the world's largest mining groups, including Valeof Brazil, Rio Tinto, BHP Billitonand Anglo American.

中国钢材需求下降，已进而引发铁矿石和炼焦煤消费量下降，从而打击一些全球最大的矿业集团，包括巴西的淡水河谷(Vale)、力拓(Rio Tinto)、必和必拓(BHP Billiton)以及英美资源(Anglo American)。

Iron ore prices, which hit an all-time high of nearly $200 a tonne in early 2011, fell recently to a three-year low of $89 a tonne.

曾在2011年初达到每吨近200美元史上最高位的铁矿石价格，近期跌至每吨89美元的三年低位。

The drop has prompted some miners to cancel multi-billion dollar investment projects in Australia, the biggest producer.

价格下跌已促使一些矿商叫停澳大利亚（全球最大铁矿石出产国）的一些巨额投资项目。

But some relief could be under way as Chinese iron ore miners start to close pits as prices drop below their cost of production.

但是，一些利好因素可能即将显现。随着铁矿石价格跌至低于生产成本的水平，中国铁矿石企业开始让一些矿山停产。

Liu Xiaoliang, executive deputy secretary-general of the Metallurgical Mines Association of China, told the conference that low prices had forced about 40 per cent of the country's iron mines to suspend operations.

中国冶金矿山企业协会(Metallurgical Mines Association of China)执行副秘书长刘效良在上述会议上表示，价格滑坡已迫使中国约40%的铁矿石矿山暂停生产。

Scarlett Chan, analyst at Citi in Hong Kong, said that the production cuts reflected weak demand for iron ore.

花旗(Citi)香港分析师Scarlett Chan表示，减产反映了铁矿石需求疲弱。

Benchmark iron ore with a 62 per cent iron content changed hands in the spot market yesterday at $106 a tonne, according to Platts.

普氏能源资讯(Platts)的数据显示，含铁量62%的基准铁矿石昨日现货市场价格为每吨106美元。

Additional reporting by Javier Blas in London and Reuters in Dalian

哈维尔•布拉斯(Javier Blas)伦敦、路透社(Reuters)大连补充报道