Since 2023, China's steel market demand has weakened, and the industry is facing downward pressure. In 2023 (the third session) China Stainless steel and special alloy new materials industry high-end forum, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the former vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Zhongguancun stainless and special alloy new materials industry innovation Alliance honorary chairman Gan Yong's words, reminded the stainless steel industry "players". Gan Yong believes that China's stainless steel industry can only find development opportunities by following the general trend, and all this can only rely on innovation. In the future, the development of China's stainless steel industry should focus on four aspects of work: adhere to scientific and technological innovation, promote green and low-carbon transformation; Continue to promote the transformation of digital intelligence, enabling high-quality development; Continuously expand the global vision and comprehensively enhance the international competitiveness; Strengthen the control of strategic resources and improve the security and capability of resources.

The stainless steel industry is a strategic and basic industry in China, and it is of great significance to play the supporting role of stainless steel, a key functional material, and further promote the development of China's advanced equipment manufacturing industry and the transformation of energy to green and low-carbon. Fan Tiejun, president of the Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, said that although China's steel industry has entered the stage of "reduction and adjustment" high-quality development, the stainless steel market still maintains strong demand all year round. In 2023, China will continue to active fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy, through strengthening the coordination and cooperation of various policies, form a joint force to promote high-quality development, and provide effective support for the overall stability of stainless steel demand, including construction, machinery, automobiles, energy, shipbuilding, home appliances, steel and wood furniture and other industries demand growth trend.

Facing the challenges and opportunities under the new situation, China's special steel and stainless steel industry must first drive high-quality development with innovation and lead transformation and upgrading. It is necessary to accelerate the transformation of digital intelligence, accelerate the application of 5G, industrial Internet, artificial intelligence, digital twin and other technologies in the industry, build a professional, efficient and intelligent production and manufacturing system, and improve enterprise efficiency and profitability. At the same time, we should promote low-carbon green transformation. We should make full use of the advantages of high strength, corrosion resistance, low carbon and longevity of stainless steel products, accelerate the research and development and use of energy-saving and longevity, green and low-carbon economic stainless steel products, and play a more important role in promoting energy saving and carbon reduction in the whole society. In addition, it is necessary to continuously expand the application scenarios of special steel and stainless steel products. Stainless steel is the most low-carbon metal materials in the whole life cycle, and will be more selected by the fine chemical industry, steel structure construction, water supply network, new energy storage and transportation, construction and decorative materials and other markets, the enterprise level should actively act as, actively explore the market, and expand the application of stainless steel products.

During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's new urbanization and manufacturing power construction will drive stainless steel consumption to continue to rise. According to the comprehensive forecast, China's stainless steel consumption in 2023 is about 28.5 million tons, an increase of 3.4%, China's stainless steel consumption in 2025 is about 32 million tons, the average annual growth rate will reach 3.5%. At present, the development characteristics of China's stainless steel industry: first, stainless steel production capacity is growing rapidly, the layout is relatively concentrated, and the growth space is large. Second, the rapid growth of stainless steel production, currently ranked first in the world. Third, the structure of stainless steel varieties is relatively solidified, and it is urgent to transform and upgrade. Fourth, East and South China are the main consumption areas showing a concentrated effect. However, the reality is that the overall operating efficiency of China's stainless steel industry has declined in 2022. In terms of green development, with the continuous advancement of the "double carbon" action, green buildings, energy and environmental protection equipment and other industries will develop rapidly, and the proportion of stainless steel enclosure system and stainless steel equipment parts demand will be further expanded. In terms of new infrastructure, the construction of new infrastructure such as 5G, industrial Internet, and big data centers has become a new area of stainless steel consumption.