BEIJING/SINGAPORE—China is facing a high profile test of its commitment to curbing industrial pollution after steel output surged in the first half of the year to well beyond its target of capping production at 2020’s peak, sending emissions to new highs.
The Chinese regime pledged to limit crude steel output this year at no higher than the 1.065 billion tonnes it made in 2020. To meet that goal, steel producers would have to cut output by roughly 10 percent for the rest of 2021 from their record first-half pace, according to Reuters calculations based on National Bureau of Statistics data.
