SHIGANG AND HANGANG: A TALE OF TWO HEBEI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BEIJING 008615 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/CM, EB/TPP/BTA, AND EB/IFD/OIA STATE PASS USTR FOR STRATFORD/WELLER/KEMP TREASURY FOR OASIA/ISA USDOC FOR 5101/ITA/IA USDOC FOR 4220/ITA/MAC USDOC FOR 1003/ITA/OUS USDOC FOR 6310/ITA/TD/OIEM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EIND ENRG ELAB SENV WTRO CH SUBJECT: SHIGANG AND HANGANG: A TALE OF TWO HEBEI STEEL MILLS (corrected copy) ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Recent visits to two Hebei Province steel mills provide an insightful look into how steel industry reforms in China will play out during the next several years. Handan Iron and Steel Group Company, a large state-owned steel mill, has been selected by the Central Government to become one of the flagship steel producers in China and has been authorized to triple its production capacity even as government authorities seek to reduce China's overall capacity by some 100 million metric tons. In stark contrast, Shijiazhuang Iron and Steel Company, a former state-owned steel mill that is now largely privately held, is seeking to gain access to new markets by improving its product line and targeting niche segments of the market rather than through adding new production capacity. Despite these differences, both enterprises say they are fully committed to meeting new government environmental and energy conservation guidelines and recognize that failure to do so could result in stiff fines or public humiliation. The Hebei steel enterprises also provide a proxy to understand the different paths private and large state-owned enterprises will take in the coming years as China deepens reforms of its industrial base. End Summary. -------------- -------------- -------------- Same Harmonious Society Destination, But Different Starting Points -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Handan Iron and Steel Group Company, Ltd. (Hangang) President of the Board of Directors Liu Rujun said that Hangang, located in the south Hebei Province industrial city of Handan, has some 25,000 employees who are on track to produce eight million metric tons of steel in 2006. Hangang's production will consist of six million metric tons of sheet and plate products, 1.3 million metric tons of cold rolled plate, and 700,000 metric tons of other steel products. President Liu said that the enterprise is building a new mill which will add five million metric tons of capacity by 2007, and in conjunction with the elimination of around three million metric tons of outdated production, will lift the enterprise's steelmaking capacity to 10 million metric tons. Hangang is transitioning from being a low-value producer oriented toward supporting the construction industry to become a high-value mill making products such as sheets and plates for the electronics industry, according to President Liu. ¶3. (SBU) President Liu stated that Hangang is a key player in Hebei Province's steel industry reorganization. Hebei Province, working with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC),has ordered the consolidation of the steel industry in Hebei. This will result in the creation of two large state-owned steel enterprises, Tangshan in north Hebei with an approved production capacity of 40 million metric tons, and Hangang in south Hebei with 30 million metric tons of approved capacity. The goal of the consolidation is to promote the rapid assimilation of international steel production technology and to foster more internationally competitive enterprises, according to President Liu. Hangang is currently negotiating joint venture (JV) agreements with two private steel mills in south Hebei as a part of the consolidation initiative. ¶4. (SBU) Standing in stark contrast to Hangang is BEIJING 00008615 002 OF 005 Shijiazhuang Iron and Steel Company, Ltd. (Shigang) located in Hebei Province's capital city of Shijiazhuang. Yan Shengke, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Shigang, stated that his company's workforce of 4,000 employees annually produce around 2 million metric tons of steel. Shigang is a specialty steel maker seeking to become a leading Chinese producer of steel products used in various stages of automobile manufacturing. President Yan said that Shigang served as an early evaluative state-owned enterprise (SOE) reform model, with private investors being allowed to purchase a majority share of the company. Although U.S. investors expressed an interest in purchasing Shigang, CITIC Hong Kong ultimately purchased a majority 65 percent share in the company while Hebei Province retained a 20 percent stake and Shigang management and employees received a 15 percent interest. ¶5. (SBU) President Yan stated that ownership reform went beyond a simple change in leadership. Shigang now has more market responsive decision-making powers and control over capital, freeing itself from the tight bureaucratic control it experienced while government owned. The reform also has resulted in Shigang possessing a strategic partner committed to developing a strong presence in China's specialty steel sector. CITIC owns controlling stakes in specialty steel mills in Jiangsu and in Hubei Provinces and President Yan stated that he developed a plan under review by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) that would create a JV between Shigang and the other CITIC-controlled specialty steel makers. The JV would create the largest specialty steel producer in China and should promote better natural and human resource allocation by the enterprises, according to President Yan. -------------- -------------- -------------- SOE Reform With Hebei Steel Mill Characteristics -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶6. (SBU) President Yan said that Shigang was an early leader in other SOE reforms arenas, most notably the separation of social services, such as schools and security forces, from its core business functions. Shigang began the separation of social services in 1993, with the process culminating four years later in the final transfer of most of the previously Shigang- provided social services and associated employees to the local Shijiazhuang and Hebei Provincial governments for absorption and administration. A notable exception was Shigang's hospital that is still owned and operated by the company. President Yan said that Shigang has teamed with a U.S. health care company to create a joint venture hospital and outpatient clinic that will compete in the local health care market by offering basic health care and pharmaceutical services along with medical exams and testing. ¶7. (SBU) President Yan said that Shigang formed and separated five subsidiary companies and some 3,200 employees as a part of its SOE reform efforts. Shigang kept the companies, mainly made up of functional services such as transportation and maintenance, under its corporate umbrella for three years after their formation to ensure they were well matured before release into the market. President Yan stated that he believes this strategy accounts for the apparent success of these new companies and for the willingness BEIJING 00008615 003 OF 005 of the companies employees to separate from a parent company where many had worked for years. President Yan also highlighted other measures Shigang has taken to become a more market-based enterprise, including the establishment of a compensation fund created by a regular draw on the companies net profits designed to provide employees basic financial resources should the enterprise undergo downsizing in the future. ¶8. (SBU) President Liu said that Hangang also has completed its SOE reform obligations by separating its social functions and non-core businesses. Hangang completed the transfer of its social services including its hospital, schools and security service to the local government in 2004. They completed the transfer of several independent companies away from the core business areas in 2005. There were no laid off workers as a result of this separation, according to President Liu. The company spin-off effort affected approximately 5,000 workers, reducing Hangang's workforce to its current 25,000 thousand employees. President Liu estimates that some five thousand workers could be further trimmed from the company rolls to fall more in line with international competitors, but presently there are no plans to take such a step. -------------- -------------- --- Burning to Conserve Energy, Save Environment -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Turning his attention to environmental and energy conservation issues, President Liu stated that the NDRC has identified Hangang as a leader in the Chinese Government's effort to promote more environmentally friendly steel production. The NDRC intends to use the environmental and energy conservation measures listed in its 2005 Steel Policy to eliminate steel enterprises that waste water, power, and other resources. President Liu said Hangang is under enormous pressure to meet government set environmental and energy efficiency targets. To that end, Hangang expects to be able to self-generate approximately 40 percent of its needed power by the end of the Eleventh Five Year Plan through the harnessing and recycling of waste gases. Hangang also has set a target for water savings that includes a goal of using less than five tons of water per one ton of produced steel. ¶10. (SBU) President Liu said that the Central Government now requires steel SOE's to open their resource consumption and environmental statistics to the public so that their compliance can be monitored. Steel SOE's found to be wasting energy or polluting will have their infractions announced on local television and subsequently, the infringing SOE leader will be required to go on television to explain his enterprise's failure. In a complementary local initiative, President Liu stated that the Hebei Provincial Government has erected environmental monitoring equipment surrounding Hangang. The enterprise will have to pay a high penalty to the local and provincial governments if it is found to be polluting. President Liu said that Hangang is working hard to comply to the new environmental and energy standards because as a large SOE, it has a governmental function as well as its business role and should be expected to be a leader in Central Government mandated initiatives. BEIJING 00008615 004 OF 005 ¶11. (SBU) Shigang President Yan said that he and his staff realized more than ten years ago that his enterprise's location seven kilometers from downtown Shijiazhuang and only 500 meters away from a major residential area made environmental protection key to the enterprise's long-term survival. This realization led to the enterprise's strategy of growing its business by producing specialty steel rather than seeking to grow through increased production. Shigang during the past decade has also invested some 1.3 billion RMB (USD 162 million) in environmental protection measures, according to President Yan. The investment included the installation of what President Yan said was the first acid rain prevention equipment in the Chinese steel industry. ¶12. (SBU) President Yan stated that Shigang is aware that the Central Government will be closely monitoring, and possibly eliminating, high polluting and energy-consuming enterprises. Hebei provincial authorities also are on the look out to find sulfur dioxide producers and water polluters, and toward that end, have established 24-hour monitoring of Shigang's air pollution. In order to motivate its employees to meet the new environmental protection standards, Shigang's policy is to remove 5,000 RMB from managers' bonuses if they are not meeting environmental targets. President Yan said that because of a water shortage in Hebei, Shigang is taking steps to reduce the amount of water it uses when producing steel. Previously, Shigang consumed about six tons of water per ton of steel produced, but with recent advances the consumption has been reduced to 3.9 tons of water per ton of steel produced and the enterprise has a stated target of 2.7 tons of water per ton of steel produced. -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- Comment: Hebei Steel Mills As A Proxy For Steel Industry and Broader SOE Reform -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Shigang and Hangang provide an illuminating contrast of where steel industry and broader SOE reform is heading in China during the Eleventh Five Year Plan. Hangang is in many ways unreconstructed in its view that as a large SOE it continues to perform both business and governmental roles, despite the recent shedding of some of the traditional SOE trappings such as its own school system and police force. This outlook will inform its compliance and adherence to environmental and energy policies laid out in the Eleventh Five Year Plan. It also will motivate its efforts to quickly achieve its authorized production capacity of 30 million tons through expanded production and acquisitions while concomitantly adding increasingly advanced steel making capabilities, a feat private enterprise would be hard pressed to match. ¶14. (SBU) On the other hand, Shigang as a now largely private company recognizes that in order to survive it must establish a presence as a high-end producer tailoring its business to areas traditionally served by imported products and from there, make a move into the international market. Shigang recognizes that mergers and acquisitions lay in its future, not as part of a government launched initiative to reform an industry, but rather as a means to improve its line of BEIJING 00008615 005 OF 005 refined products and to more efficiently employ labor and capital. The survival and success of private enterprises like Shigang during the next five years will depend on their ability to accomplish this feat while staying one step ahead of government initiatives such as environmental protection and energy conservation measures laid out in the Eleventh Five Year Plan. Failure to do so will probably lead to their being overrun, or absorbed, by large SOE's with a mandate to do so no matter the costs. RANDT