The global petroleum consumption amounted to 84.5 barrels per day in 2006, up 0.96% y-o-y, and it reached 86.1 million barrels per day in 2007, rising 1.9%. Influenced by the season, it is forecasted that the global petroleum consumption in the third quarter of 2007 will increase to 86.3 million tons a day from 84.6 million barrels a day in the second quarter, and it will reach the summit of 2007 in the fourth quarter, 88 million barrels per day. It is estimated that the petroleum consumption in China reached 7.2 million barrels a day in 2006, and will be 7.6 million barrels per day in 2007, up 5.5%.

The steel export volume amounted to 21.28 million tons in China in Jan-Apr 2007, up 132% y-o-y; the steel billet export volume was 2.65 million tons, rising 92.2% y-o-y; the machinery equipment export value reached USD 69.75 billion, rising 25.4%; the automobile and chassis export volume was 138 thousand units, ascending 36.9% y-o-y.