Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other departments jointly issued a statement, setting a target of approximately 4% annual growth in added value for the steel industry over the next two years. This plan, centered on "stabilizing growth and preventing internal competition," charts the path for structural adjustment and high-quality development in China's steel industry.

Strictly control production capacity, targeting an average annual growth rate of approximately 4% over the next two years.

The work plan proposes precise regulation of production capacity and output, promoting tiered and categorized management of steel enterprises, strictly prohibiting new capacity additions, guiding resource concentration towards competitive enterprises, and promoting the survival of the fittest through output regulation to achieve a dynamic balance between supply and demand. Experts indicate that the new plan's emphasis on "equipment upgrades" and "low-carbon transformation" will become two core issues for future competition. According to the plan, steel companies must accelerate the elimination of outdated equipment, particularly restrictive production equipment such as old blast furnaces and converters.

Over 120 R&D investments have been launched globally for the first time, with an average annual growth rate of 15%.

The work plan proposes promoting process equipment upgrades, promoting high-end, intelligent, and green development, expanding effective investment, and promoting the optimization and upgrading of the steel industry's structure. Since the beginning of this year, China's steel industry has seen over 120 global product launches, with many companies experiencing a surge in new products and an average annual increase of 15% in industry R&D investment.

Driven by both policy and technology, China's crude steel output reached 79.66 million tons in July, a year-on-year decrease of 4.0%, while steel product output reached 122.95 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 6.4%. From May to July, steel output declined significantly year-on-year, with crude steel showing a continued downward trend. The material-to-steel ratio has further widened, further optimizing the steel industry structure. Meanwhile, the density of robot applications in the steel industry has reached 65 units per 10,000 employees, and over 80% of companies have established intelligent centralized control centers.

The China Iron and Steel Association stated that this year, for the first time, it proposed "AI + Cross-Domain Integration" in the form of a national action plan, elevating AI to the core engine of new-quality productivity. By deeply integrating expert experience with machine intelligence, this initiative will propel the industry from single-point intelligence to full-process intelligence, ultimately achieving a paradigm shift towards high-end, intelligent, and green industrial development.