'Without an inch of steel.' Soaring metal prices spell trouble for China's recovery
CNN
China and the United States are in a race for scarce commodities to rebuild their economies after the pandemic. That's pushing prices through the roof — and is now threatening to throw Beijing's recovery plans off course.
The cost of everything needed for China's post-pandemic infrastructure boom, from steel and coal to glass and cement, is soaring. The price of rebar, a type of steel used to reinforce concrete, recently hit 6,200 yuan ($965) per metric ton in Shanghai, up 40% this year, and a new record high. Iron ore, which is used to make steel, has topped 1,240 yuan per metric ton ($194) on the Dalian Futures Exchange, a 25% increase since the start of the year. Thermal coal, glass and aluminum are hitting all-time highs in China. The price of plasterboard is rising too. The situation with steel has become so acute that China's leaders are warning of damage to the economy. And a popular idiom for defenseless — "without an inch of steel in hand" — is now being used much more literally on social media to describe desperate buyers.
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