According to data released by the South East Asian Iron & Steel Institute (SEASI), the steel consumption in the ASEAN countries totaled 32.2 million tons in the first half of this year, jumping by 17% year on year, driven by strong demand in Vietnam and Indonesia. Meanwhile, the ASEAN countries produced 14.2 million tons of crude steel in the first half of this year, rising by 12.2% year on year. Besides, the region’s steel imports increased to 22.3 million tons in the first half of this year from 19.5 million tons in the same period of 2012.
