On September 16th, the 2025 4th Western Steel Forum was grandly convened in Xi’an, the ancient capital of China. The event was guided by China National Association of Metal Material Trade(CAMT) and co-hosted by LGMI, Langubuguo, the Internet and Digital Intelligence Special Committee of CAMT, and the Construction Steel Branch of CAMT.

The present forum is guided by China National Association of Metal Material Trade (CAMT). It is hosted by LGMI, Langubuguo, The Internet and Digital Intelligence Special Committee of CAMT, The Construction Steel Branch of CAMT, Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd. serves as the co-host, with Shaanxi Chengxinyun Environmental Engineering Co., Ltd., Jinyuan Futures Co., Ltd., and Baiwang Yunfan Management Consulting Co., Ltd. acting as co-organizers. The event receives joint support from the Xi'an Steel Industry Association, Jinan Steel Trade Association, Anhui Metal Materials Circulation Association, Wuhan Metal Materials Circulation Association, Henan Iron and Steel Industry Association, Steel Trade Branch, Zhengzhou Steel Trade Association, Steel Pipe Branch, Yulong Yunshang Brand Distributors Association, and Strategic Alliance for Technological Innovation in Prefabricated Steel Structure Civil Building Industry.

The forum, themed Silk Road Integration and Digital Interconnection, brought together over 500 participants, including macroeconomic experts, industry leaders, representatives from upstream and downstream industrial chain enterprises, and delegates from financial and futures institutions. Distinguished guests invited to the event included: Ren Xingzhou, a renowned economist and former Director of Market Economy Research Institute, Development Research Center of the State Council; Chen Leiming, Executive President and Secretary-General of CAMT; Hao Jiping, Honorary Chairman of Strategic Alliance for Technological Innovation in Prefabricated Steel Structure Civil Building Industry and Professor at Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology; Guo Lijuan, Secretary-General of Coking Coal Special Committee, China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association; Yan Wutang, Party Secretary and General Manager of Shaanxi Iron & Steel Group Xi'an Branch; Chen Xiaodong, President of Xi'an Steel Industry Association; Ren Xiangjun, President of Zhengzhou Steel Trade Association, Steel Pipe Branch; Jiang Hong, sales director of Ningxia Iron & Steel (Group) Co., Ltd. ; Guo Wanwen, General Manager of Jiuquan Steel (Gansu) Xi'an Company; Xu Kai, Secretary-General of Strategic Alliance for Technological Innovation in the Prefabricated Steel Structure Civil Building Industry, Senior Vice President of Baosteel Engineering & Technology Group, and Chairman of Baoshan Iron & Steel Construction Engineering Technology (Shanghai).; Xu Shaobing, General Manager of Green Carbon Business Unit, Ouyeel, China Baowu; Han Weidong, Think Tank Expert of CAMT and Senior Consultant of Tianjin Youfa Steel Pipe Group; Qiao Luoluo, General Manager of Baiwang Yunfan Management Consulting Co., Ltd.; Nie Yifeng, Deputy General Manager of Jinyuan Futures Co., Ltd.; Zhang Xinxin, General Manager of Shaanxi Shuke Yunlian Materials Co., Ltd.; Liu Taoran, President of Lange Group Co., Ltd; Zhao Hailong, General Manager of Lange Bugoo Network; and Ma Li, General Manager and Chief Analyst of Lange Steel Network.

Focused on the theme of Silk Road Integration and Digital Interconnection, the forum aimed to conduct in-depth analysis of policy trends, market prospects, and innovative practices. It sought to assist enterprises in seizing opportunities in green, digital, and international development, and to jointly build a new ecosystem for steel industry collaboration under the "Belt and Road" Initiative.

As one of the organizers of the forum, Zhao Hailong, General Manager of Lange Bugoo Network, opened the conference with two illustrative cases: the "death spiral" phenomenon of ants and the transformation practice of steel traders, delivering an in-depth analysis of the current dilemmas and opportunities confronting the steel industry.

He pointed out that the core to breaking through the industry’s impasse lies in "dimension-elevated thinking" and "integrated development", and emphasized that the forum is intended to pool industry wisdom and jointly explore transformation pathways. Zhao Hailong noted that Bugoo Network has consistently provided reliable "informational pheromones" for the industrial chain by leveraging authentic and precise industry data. Relying on diversified service capabilities covering information, data, transactions, logistics, and supply chain finance, it fully empowers steel enterprises. After a decade of deep cultivation in the industry, the team is now advancing the shift from "digitalization" to "digital intelligence". The self-developed "Gu Yi AI Large Language Model" by Bugoo Network will facilitate the in-depth integration of artificial intelligence with the bulk commodity industry, supporting intelligent decision-making and transformation-upgrading of the sector.

In conclusion, he called on the industry to transcend traditional models, achieve collaborative symbiosis through digital empowerment, navigate cyclical challenges, reshape value, and collectively stride toward a new phase of high-quality development.

Chen Leiming, Executive President and Secretary-General of CAMT, noted at the forum that the steel industry is currently undergoing profound transformation, confronting complex challenges characterized by the "Three Highs and Three Lows" framework.

He emphasized that enterprises should gain a clear understanding of the prevailing landscape, maintain strategic focus, and advance the steady development of the industry by enhancing industry self-regulation and facilitating supply-demand equilibrium. Concurrently, enterprises are encouraged to proactively embrace transformation toward digitalization, high-endization, and greenization, strengthen collaborative innovation across supply chains, and construct an open and symbiotic new ecosystem.

Looking ahead, the CAMT will continue to fulfill its leading role, consolidate industry forces, and collectively drive the high-quality development of the steel industry.

Yan Wutang, Party Secretary and General Manager of Xi’an Branch of Shaanxi Steel Group, delivered a keynote address at the forum. He noted that as the only large-scale steel enterprise in Shaanxi Province, Shaanxi Steel Group serves as the largest production base for high-end construction materials in Western China, with its high-quality products applied in national-level key projects including the Three Gorges Dam and the Sichuan-Tibet Railway.

Looking ahead, the group will proactively develop new products to align with market demand, vigorously promote the quality enhancement and iterative upgrading of construction steel, and achieve steel reduction through improving product strength—thereby reducing resource and energy consumption. In conclusion, he extended his wishes for the forum’s complete success.

Chen Xiaodong, President of the Xi'an Steel Industry Association, noted in his address that the association will fully leverage its professional strengths to assist enterprises in navigating industry policy trends, supporting them in optimizing industrial layout, reducing operational costs, and enhancing market competitiveness.

Additionally, the association will promote the in-depth integration of industry, academia, and research (IAR), accelerate the R&D and application of new technologies and processes, inject robust impetus into enterprise transformation and upgrading, and provide comprehensive service guarantees and operational support for steel enterprises in Shaanxi Province.

Nie Yifeng, Deputy General Manager of Jinyuan Futures Co., Ltd., noted in his address that the domestic futures market is currently advancing its transformation toward serving the real economy, with the core shift being from a financial trading instrument to a risk management platform for the real economy.

Against the backdrop of challenges such as high price volatility and elevated hedging complexity in the steel trading industry, financial institutions are required to demonstrate professional competence and responsible commitment. Jinyuan Futures has consistently focused on facilitating the in-depth integration of futures markets with the real economy, supporting enterprises in effective risk hedging, and establishing industry communication platforms to drive industrial upgrading and empowerment.

Zhang Xinxin, General Manager of Shaanxi Shuke Cloud Chain Materials Co., Ltd., delivered a speech on behalf of Shaanxi Shuke Group, noting that the steel industry in Western China is currently at a critical stage of transformation and upgrading, where opportunities and challenges coexist.

To address the financing predicament faced by the industry, Shaanxi Shuke has developed the "Yiqi Rong" service product. This product integrates resources from four parties—banks, guarantee companies, the group itself, and traders—and provides a low-interest financing solution with an annual interest rate of 5% to 7.5%, effectively alleviating the financial pressure on enterprises.

Shaanxi Shuke is committed to taking "Yiqi Rong" as a link to deepen cooperation with all stakeholders, and collectively drive the high-quality development of the steel industry in Western China.

Liu Taoran, President of Lange Group, delivered a welcome address on behalf of the organizers. He noted that the original team of Bugoo.com (formerly Steel Valley Network) has constructed a digital ecosystem integrating information, transactions, logistics, and finance over the years.

In 2024, following Lange Group’s strategic equity investment in Bugu.com, the two parties jointly established Shaanxi Lange Bugoo Technology Co., Ltd. to conduct all-round cooperation. The initiative aims to build a cooperation system characterized by complementary advantages and resource sharing, and to carry out in-depth, multi-level collaboration across domains including precise empowerment of strategic clients, joint R&D of cutting-edge technologies, full-domain expansion of market channels, and collaborative cultivation of talent echelons.

Through capital linkage and resource fusion, the two parties will stimulate inter-platform synergy, generate a fission momentum of "industry resources + digital ecosystem", and accelerate regional market expansion and industrial digital-intelligent upgrading. Looking ahead, Lange Group will take Xi’an as a fulcrum to build a "Northwest-Central Asia-Europe" industrial corridor, promote the western steel industry’s leap toward an international hub, and facilitate the global expansion of Chinese steel.

During the keynote speech segment, senior experts in the bulk commodity industrial chain, grounded in the economic characteristics of Western China and the dual context of international and domestic developments, expounded on the conference theme in a comprehensive manner from multi-dimensional perspectives including macroeconomics, policy frameworks, industrial dynamics, trend forecasting, and digital application practices.

Professor Ren Xingzhou, a renowned economist, presented an analytical lecture titled Current Macro-Policy Deployment and Its Implications for the Steel Industry. From the dual perspectives of key macro-policy orientations and their transmission effects on the steel market, she elaborated on the core pathways through which the current policy framework is driving domestic demand expansion, including:

Coordination between proactive fiscal policies and moderately accommodative monetary policies;

Positioning of stabilizing the stock and real estate markets;

Policy synergies such as consumption stimulation, investment expansion, and unification of the domestic unified market to boost domestic demand.

The steel industry has also benefited from policy-driven demand uplift, supported by initiatives including infrastructure projects (the "two key projects"), trade-in programs, real estate market stabilization, and manufacturing industry upgrading. Currently, positive adjustments have been observed in a range of macroeconomic and industry-specific indicators. It is posited that the steel industry will still achieve leapfrog development following a period of structural adjustment pains.

Mr. Chen Leiming delivered an academic presentation titled Reflections and Recommendations on the Transformation and Development of Steel Distribution Enterprises. He provided a forward-looking synthesis of the core characteristics of the steel industry’s evolution in recent years, as well as the embedded risks and opportunities within this process. From a distinctive analytical perspective, he delineated three hierarchical survival modes of steel trading and distribution enterprises against the current industry backdrop, and put forward targeted recommendations for innovative development corresponding to different role orientations.

Mr. Chen emphasized that the establishment of a modern steel supply chain system represents an irreversible industry trend. However, the construction of such a system necessitates the adoption of four critical thinking paradigms: supply chain thinking, dual-circulation thinking, digital thinking, and unified large-market thinking.

Mr. Xu Kai delivered an academic talk titled Exploration of the Prefabricated Building Industry Chain in the Era of Steel Material Iteration. He examined the current development status of the prefabricated building industry amid the iteration of steel materials: driven by policy incentives, the proportion of prefabricated buildings in new construction has risen significantly in recent years. However, the industry still confronts core bottlenecks, including concerns over high premiums in the design phase, unresolved material-side challenges such as fire resistance, corrosion protection, and vibration comfort, as well as construction-phase constraints.

Subsequently, he outlined the current business layout and innovative solutions of China Baowu Steel Group, and provided a forward-looking analysis of the development prospects for high-performance steel and the prefabricated building industry.

Mr. Xu Shaobing delivered an academic presentation themed Forging a Green New Future for Steel: Green-Carbon Strategy and Practices of Ouyeel Cloud Commerce. He addressed the substantial emission reduction pressure borne by China’s steel industry—a major carbon emitter—under the nation’s "Dual Carbon" goals. He further explored how steel enterprises can gradually meet policy compliance requirements following the industry’s official inclusion in the national carbon market.

Subsequently, he outlined Ouyeel Cloud Commerce’s experience in proactively constructing its green service ecosystem amid the overarching trend of supply chain green transformation, and presented practical cases of the company’s green-carbon business initiatives.

Mr. Han Weidong delivered a keynote speech titled Major Opportunities and Challenges for the Steel Industry in the New Cycle. He systematically analyzed the critical opportunities and challenges confronting the steel industry amid the new cycle, focusing on the intertwined context of the reshaping of the international trade system and domestic policies aimed at curbing internal homogenization competition.

He further explored how to unlock growth potential in the steel industry through technological innovation and green transition, proposing that enterprises should:

Proactively adapt to adjustments in international rules;

Accelerate R&D of high-end products and industrial chain synergy;

Leverage domestic policy guidance to optimize capacity allocation, promote industry consolidation, and advance intensive development.

Regarding the subsequent market operation, he emphasized the need to closely track supply-demand dynamics and cost fluctuations, enhance risk management capabilities and market responsiveness, so as to achieve stable operation and sustainable competitiveness.

Mr. Qiao Luonuo delivered an academic presentation titled From Compliance Dilemmas to Profit Growth: The Evolution Path of Reverse Invoicing for Recycled Resources. He introduced the digital-intelligent innovation solution developed by Baiwang Yunfan, which centers on "reverse invoicing" as the core enabling tool to systematically construct a digital platform for circular economy.

He elaborated on the core functional highlights of the "Yikexun" platform, including resource traceability, carbon emission monitoring, and tax compliance management. Subsequently, he presented an integrated solution for circular economy industrial parks based on this platform—this solution aims to unblock the value chain of scrap steel recycling, recycled resource trading, and green supply chain management. By leveraging digital tools, it enhances industrial synergy efficiency, reduces enterprise operational costs, and facilitates the green low-carbon transformation of the steel industry as well as the large-scale development of the circular economy ecosystem.

Mr. Ma Li delivered an academic presentation titled Supply-Demand Dynamics and Market Outlook for the Steel Market in the Fourth Quarter. He first conducted a retrospective analysis of the steel market trends over recent months, providing a synthesized commentary on the drivers behind the July rebound and the August-September correction.

Subsequently, he performed a granular analysis of data fluctuations across the supply, inventory, and demand segments of the industrial chain, and put forward a forward-looking assessment of the steel market’s trajectory in the second half of the year: overall stability with potential phased rebounds. He further posited that the September market would likely exhibit a "first decline, then rise" pattern, and recommended that stakeholders closely monitor the market impact of latest developments such as interest rate cuts and policies aimed at curbing internal homogenization competition.

This forum also featured a high-level dialogue session themed Steel Industry Development and Trends Amid the Digital-Intelligent Wave. The successful convening of this forum has injected robust new impetus and forged broad new consensus for advancing the high-quality development of the steel industry in western China and across the nation.