Recently, the 2025 China Special Steel Industry Development Forum, themed “Innovation-Driven, Strengthening Foundations for Special Steel, Empowering New Industrialization,” was grandly held in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. As the largest and most influential industry gathering in China's special steel sector, this forum brought together over 400 representatives from special steel manufacturers, upstream and downstream enterprises, research institutes, and industry associations. Participants collectively explored the industry's current landscape, cutting-edge technologies, and future development trends, fostering consensus and charting a course for advancing the high-quality development of the special steel industry.

I. Industry Faces Severe Challenges, Calls for Rational Operations and Structural Adjustments

Jiang Wei, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Vice President, and Secretary-General of the China Iron and Steel Association, delivered a keynote speech providing an in-depth analysis of the complex environment currently confronting the steel industry. He noted that China's apparent steel consumption has declined for four consecutive years since 2021, with the year-on-year decrease expanding to 5.7% in the first nine months of 2025. Particularly in the third quarter of this year, misjudgments by enterprises regarding the “Golden September and Silver October” demand led to oversupply, causing rapid accumulation of corporate and social inventories. Coupled with the widening gap between steel prices and raw material costs, industry profitability has significantly declined, reaching its lowest point this year. Jiang Wei emphasized that steel enterprises must adhere to the “Three Fixes, Three Don'ts” operational principle, scientifically assess demand, promptly adjust production rhythms, and reduce inventories to stabilize industry profitability. Simultaneously, he proposed countermeasures including strengthening technological innovation, optimizing product structures, committing to green transformation, advancing “AI+Steel” integration, and enhancing supply chain synergy to address challenges.

II. Focusing on “Special, High-End, and Innovative”: Discussing Pathways for High-Quality Development in the Special Steel Industry

During the forum, the commemorative issue marking the 45th anniversary of Special Steel magazine was officially released. Qian Gang, Party Secretary and Chairman of CITIC Pacific Special Steel, stated in his address that the commemorative issue, themed “Ultra-High-Quality, Ultra-High-Performance Special Steel,” systematically reviews breakthroughs in key technological areas and the strategic value of special steel in high-end manufacturing sectors such as aerospace and clean energy. It aims to drive the industry's continuous upgrade toward “special, high-end, and innovative” products, alongside green and intelligent development.

Wu Xiaodi, Rotating President of the China Special Steel Enterprises Association and Chairman of Taiyuan Iron and Steel Group, called for industry confidence and enhanced responsibility in his address. He proposed three recommendations: deepening collaborative innovation among industry, academia, research, and application; establishing shared service platforms; and strengthening industry self-regulation and quality improvement. Xia Xiaokun, Co-President of Shanghai Steel Union, highlighted that digital technology and artificial intelligence are injecting new momentum into the special steel industry, accelerating its transformation toward high-end, intelligent, and green development.

III. Cutting-Edge Reports Charting the Course: Special Steel Technology Implementation and Industrial Practice

During the thematic report session, multiple experts shared frontier insights and practical achievements:

Academician Gan Yong (video report) proposed a new “AI+Materials” R&D paradigm, advocating for the construction of intelligent unmanned testing platforms to provide strategic guidance for the special steel industry's leapfrog development.

Dean Zhang Longqiang highlighted the core value of special steel in serving the national marine economy and energy transition, projecting that steel demand for marine applications will grow over 5% by 2025, while energy sector consumption will exceed 48 million tons.

Professor Jiang Zhouhua shared key technological breakthroughs in high-end special steel—including purity control, mold steel for new energy vehicles, and intelligent metallurgy—outlining the industry's path toward high-end upgrading.

Deputy Chief Engineer Ma Dangcan emphasized that mold steel must transition toward high-end applications, with domestic substitution and self-reliance as future priorities, particularly addressing demands from aerospace, aviation, electronics/IT, and medical sectors.

Experts from the China Automotive Technology & Research Center analyzed performance requirements for high-strength steel and hot-formed steel in new energy vehicles, stressing the importance of collaborative innovation between the steel and automotive industries. 

IV. Building Consensus to Launch a New Chapter in Special Steel Development

Through keynote speeches, thematic reports, panel discussions, and accompanying exhibitions, this forum comprehensively showcased the innovative achievements of the special steel industry chain in its high-end and intelligent transformation. Experts unanimously agreed that the special steel sector should adhere to the guiding principles of “green, intelligent, high-end, and globalized” development, accelerating technological innovation and industrial integration to provide robust support for building a manufacturing powerhouse and a quality-driven nation.

The forum achieved substantial outcomes in building industry consensus, facilitating supply-demand matching, and advancing collaborative implementation, injecting robust momentum into the high-quality development of the special steel industry at the new starting point of the 15th Five-Year Plan.