Can Beijing bear to let its prized steel industry shrink so the rest of the economy can grow?
Illustration by Luis Grañena.
In December 2020, as the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic drew to a close, Chen Derong wiped away tears of joy while addressing the company he chairs, China Baowu Steel Group Corporation.Baowu is the result of a consolidation of the steel industry with Baosteel and Wuhan Iron & Steel merging, along with Ma Steel. State-owned Baowu had just cracked a major milestone: It had churned out its 100 millionth tonne of steel that year, cementing its lead as the world’s largest steel producer. C
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from Andrew Peaple.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
California-based Jupiter Systems sold high-tech wall screens to U.S. military and government clients. On June 14, The Wire China revealed how Jupiter was sold to a Chinese company in 2020 without the first Trump administration’s knowledge. Now Trump is back and on the case as Jupiter teeters on the verge of bankruptcy.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.