2025 (7th) Stainless Steel and Critical Metal Materials Summit Forum

2025 (7th) Stainless Steel and Critical Metal Materials Summit Forum

On November 17–18, 2025, the “2025 (7th) Stainless Steel and Critical Metal Materials Summit Forum,” hosted by Wuxi Zhonglian E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and Puyang Zhonglian E-Commerce Co., Ltd., and jointly organized by Guangxi Zhongma Zhonglian Cross-Border E-Commerce Co., Ltd. and Unilink, was grandly held in Wuxi, Jiangsu.

This conference received friendly sponsorship and strong support from Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co., Ltd.; Guangxi Zhongma Investment Capital Management Group Co., Ltd.; Shandong Shengyang Holdings Group Co., Ltd.; Zhejiang Fuxing Special Steel Co., Ltd.; Wuxi Pujin Metal Products Co., Ltd.; Jiangsu Jiangyin Rural Commercial Bank Co., Ltd. (Wuxi Branch); Hangzhou Guotou Investment (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd.; Wuxi Chaorui Stainless Steel Co., Ltd.; Wuxi Hechuang Stainless Steel Co., Ltd.; Jiangsu Minghongda Metal Technology Co., Ltd.; Wuxi Jiede Stainless Steel Co., Ltd.; Guizhou Dayuan Industrial (Group) Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Zhongli Industrial Co., Ltd.; Hunan Jinrun Mining Co., Ltd.; Enshi Zhina Electronic Materials Co., Ltd.; Zhejiang Jutai New Energy Materials Co., Ltd.; Jiangxi Zhenheng Metal Materials Co., Ltd.; Chenzhou Fengyue Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd.; and Jiangxi Yingze Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., among many other organizations.

The conference brought together representatives from the domestic and international stainless steel industry chain, the rare and minor metals industry chain, and the new energy industry chain. Participants included enterprises engaged in production and processing, trade and distribution, ports and logistics, and research institutions, as well as experts, industry leaders, and corporate representatives from various sectors, totaling more than 600 attendees.

The conference featured high-level participation from distinguished leaders. The host introduced the attendees, including: Cai Jin, President of the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing; Zhu Wei, Member of the Party Standing Committee of Liyang City and Director of the Liyang High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Administrative Committee; Zeng Qinghua, Party Secretary of the Lengshuijiang Economic Development Zone in Hunan Province; Zhang Zhifang, Executive Vice President of the Stainless Steel Branch of the China Iron and Steel Association; Liang Jun, Party Secretary and Chairman of Guangxi Zhongma Qinzhou Industrial Park Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd.;

Gao Feng, Member of the Party Standing Committee and Deputy General Manager of Taigang Group; Jia Peng, renowned economist; Zhou Xu, Vice President of the Bulk Commodity Circulation Branch of the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing; Qian Haidong, General Manager of the New Materials Industry Group Operation Center of Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt; Zhu Shibin, Vice President of Xianxian Technology Group; Cong Shuanglong, Deputy General Manager of Taigang Group Marketing Center; Rao Zhixiong, Party Secretary and Chairman of Ningbo Baoxin Stainless Steel Co., Ltd.; Xie Hao, General Manager of Shandong Taigang Xinhai Stainless Steel Co., Ltd.; Zhang Zhiqiang, General Manager of Tianjin Taigang Tianguan Stainless Steel Co., Ltd.; Wang Jinhui, General Manager of Ansteel Lianzhong (Guangzhou) Stainless Steel Co., Ltd.; Han Jiuyan, Deputy General Manager of the Stainless Steel Division of Gansu Jiuquan Iron & Steel (Group) Co., Ltd.;

Dong Aiyong, Chairman of Jiangsu Yuying Metal Technology Co., Ltd.; Huang Lei, Party Branch Secretary and Chairman’s Assistant of Liyang Ruida New Materials Group Co., Ltd.; Xu Weiyu, General Manager of the Stainless Steel Business Center of Shandong Shengyang Holdings Group Co., Ltd.; Tang Wujun, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Antai Science & Technology Co., Ltd.; Xu Aibin, Special Consultant to the Cobalt Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association and Chief Expert of Beijing Antai Science & Technology;

An Guanghua, President of the Lengshuijiang Chamber of Commerce; Wang Chengzhong, President of the Foshan (Chaozhou) Chamber of Commerce; Wang Yulin, President of the Guangdong (Shaoguan) Steel and Rare & Minor Metals Industry Association; and Zhang Changming, President of the Hunan Steel Industry Association, among other key leaders.

At the opening ceremony of the conference, Mr. Yu Xiaochun, Chairman of Unilink Enterprise Group, delivered the welcome address. Subsequently, Mr. Cai Jin, President of the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing; Mr. Zhu Wei, Member of the Standing Committee of the Liyang Municipal Party Committee and Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee as well as Director of the Administrative Committee of the Liyang High-Tech Industrial Development Zone; Mr. Zhang Zhifang, Executive Vice President of the Stainless Steel Branch of the China Iron and Steel Association; Mr. Liang Jun, Party Secretary and Chairman of Guangxi Zhongma Qinzhou Industrial Park Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd.; Mr. Gao Feng, Member of the Party Standing Committee and Deputy General Manager of Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Group) Co., Ltd.; and Mr. Zhu Shibin, Vice President of Xianxian Technology Group, delivered keynote speeches at the conference.

Chairman Yu stated that at present, Unilink Enterprise Group has built and operates eight industrial parks nationwide, established four major industrial internet platforms, and operates more than 30 delivery warehouses. The Group has developed a digital supply chain service system covering stainless steel, new energy materials, critical metals, rare earths, sulfur, and other industries, providing services to more than 30,000 clients worldwide.

To better serve overseas customers, we established in Dubai the world’s first international bulk commodity trading platform settled in RMB — UNILINK. In addition, together with Guangxi Zhongma Investment Group, we jointly invested in and developed the “Zhongma Unilink” cross-border e-commerce platform, continuously enhancing global supply chain service capabilities.

As our product offerings continue to expand, our customer base has also grown steadily.

Unilink’s achievements would not have been possible without the trust and support of all our clients. To promote industry exchange, we organized five industry conferences in 2025 and will continue to increase our efforts in organizing conferences next year, providing more opportunities for communication and collaboration.

Together, let us contribute wisdom and strength to promote the high-quality development of the industry!

President Cai stated:

“The high-quality development of the critical metals industry hinges on building a modern supply chain system that is safe, efficient, coordinated, and innovative. By leveraging digital empowerment, we can connect the supply chains of stainless steel and critical metals to form an integrated industrial chain. This will create vast room for development and value creation within the industrial chain. At the same time, through the internationalization of supply chain market positioning, we can help enterprises expand overseas — not only enabling them to go global, but to do so more effectively and sustainably, and to reach even further.”

President Zhang stated:

“In facing the new journey of the ‘14th Five-Year Plan,’ the development of new productive forces has become a key pillar of national strategy. For the stainless steel and critical metals materials industry, this represents both a major opportunity that must be seized and a responsibility that must be undertaken.

At the same time, he called upon enterprises to focus on the following:

First, to concentrate on breakthroughs in core technologies, continuously enhance product value-added, and meet the increasingly stringent performance requirements of downstream sectors.

Second, to actively explore emerging markets, seize growth opportunities brought by marine engineering, new energy storage, high-end equipment manufacturing, and other developing fields, and expand application scenarios.

Third, to work together to safeguard the healthy and secure development of the industrial chain, strengthen industry self-discipline, avoid low-level homogeneous competition, and jointly promote dynamic balance between supply and demand.

Fourth, to deepen international exchange and cooperation. While responding to trade protectionism, enterprises should adopt a more open posture, optimize resource allocation on a global scale, and jointly create and share development opportunities.”

Main Forum of the Conference

Renowned economist Mr. Fu Peng delivered the keynote speech titled “Witnessing the Countercurrent: Reflections on the Major Reshaping of the Global Asset Allocation Landscape.” Representatives in attendance listened attentively throughout the session.

After the speech, many fans eagerly went on stage to take photos and request autographs.

Mr. Fu’s presentation received an enthusiastic response. He provided a detailed analysis of current hot topics, revealed the operating logic of the economy and capital markets, and offered practical investment strategies for investors.

The conference then moved into the thematic forum session. The “Stainless Steel + New Energy” forum commenced first. Ms. Xu Aidong, Special Consultant to the Cobalt Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association and Chief Expert of Beijing Antai Science & Technology Co., Ltd., delivered a keynote report titled “Current Status and Hotspot Analysis of the Global Nickel and Cobalt Market.”

Subsequently, Mr. Han Jianbiao, General Manager of Wuxi Zhonglian E-Commerce Co., Ltd., presented a keynote report titled “Opportunities and Prospects for the Stainless Steel Industry over the Next Five Years.”

Professor Xu pointed out in her analysis that nickel, as a key raw material for stainless steel, has its market supply and demand dynamics profoundly influencing downstream industries. China and Indonesia have become major forces in the global nickel and stainless steel markets. Although the nickel market has been in a state of oversupply for years, the decline in nickel prices seems to face some resistance. This is mainly due to the overall rise in production costs for nickel products in recent years, as well as companies' flexible use of futures instruments for hedging. Additionally, price differences among various nickel-based products have largely been smoothed out through timely production adjustments by enterprises.

Mr. Han stated that the current price level of stainless steel is at a multi-year low and has reached the bottom, based on the key evidence that cost support from raw materials is continuously strengthening. The price of nickel, the primary raw material, has become unprofitable even for the most cost-advantaged Indonesian producers. Meanwhile, other raw materials such as ferrochrome also have limited room for downward price adjustments due to the high concentration of mineral resources and tight supply.

He assessed that, from a cost perspective, the likelihood of further sharp declines in finished stainless steel prices is very low. Mr. Han also pointed out that, driven by the development of downstream industries such as new energy, shipbuilding, and aerospace, the demand for specialty steel will grow significantly faster than that for ordinary stainless steel. He particularly emphasized the huge growth potential of the ASEAN market. Taking Indonesia as an example, its current per capita stainless steel consumption is less than 1 kg, far below that of China. He predicted that ASEAN will become an important growth pole for global stainless steel consumption in the future.

Sub-forum on Stainless Steel, New Energy, and Critical Metals Industries

The afternoon sub-forum focused on the fields of new energy and critical metals. The term "critical metals" is destined to be a shining focal point both now and for a long time to come. Every trend in this area has the potential to reshape the industrial landscape; every breakthrough signifies new opportunities. Similarly, "new energy" is one of the nine strategic emerging industries outlined in China's 15th Five-Year Plan, forming an important component of the nine strategic emerging sectors—including high-end equipment, new materials, new energy, aerospace, and marine equipment—proposed in the Plan. Each speaker in the afternoon delivered a keynote presentation centered on these two critical industries, providing rich and detailed content. It is believed that through the exchange of ideas at this forum, innovative thinking will be sparked, more pragmatic cooperation will be facilitated, and joint efforts will be made to overcome common challenges in R&D innovation, standard evolution, and supply chain construction. Together, we aim to forge a new metal materials industry system that is more innovative, resilient, and competitive.

With the conclusion of the final speaker's presentation, the 2025 (7th) Stainless Steel and Critical Metals Summit Forum has successfully drawn to a close. Though the forum must end, the spirit of exchange knows no bounds. May the sparks of inspiration ignited at this forum translate into tangible cooperation and development momentum in the marketplace tomorrow. Finally, we wish you all the strength and resilience of stainless steel, and the lasting value of critical metals in your future endeavors. Wishing everyone a safe journey home. We look forward to seeing you again next time!

Thank you all!