Nation’s steel sector speeding up tech-driven low-carbon transition in Commodity News 14/05/2026 An employee works on the production line of a steel company in Maanshan, Anhui province. LUO JISHENG/FOR CHINA DAILY China’s steel industry is accelerating technology-driven and low-carbon transformation efforts, including wider robot adoption, as steelmakers seek to strengthen resilience amid persistent supply-demand pressures and a more challenging external environment, industry officials said. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that the country’s crude steel output reached 248 million metric tons in the first quarter, down 4.6 percent year-on-year, while apparent crude steel consumption fell 4.4 percent year-on-year to 220 million tons. Despite declines in both output and consumption, the industry continues to face pressure from soft demand and oversupply, analysts said. Against the backdrop of capacity reduction and quality upgrading, steelmakers are striving to enhance resilience through structural adjustment and technological upgrading, said Diao Li, deputy secretary-general of the China Iron and Steel Association and director of its information and statistics department. Major steel enterprises tracked by the association posted combined operating revenue of 1.49 trillion yuan ($205.8 billion) during the period, up 1.2 percent year-on-year. Their operating costs rose 1.5 percent to 1.41 trillion yuan, while total profits stood at 21.7 billion yuan, down 5.1 percent. Steelmakers should align production more closely with sales and profitability, while refining product structures and developing more competitive products tailored to market demand, Diao said during the first quarter industry information conference held recently. He added that enterprises should steadily advance high-end, green and intelligent transformation based on their own conditions. As steelmakers seek new growth drivers and productivity gains, robotics and intelligent manufacturing