China Steel Group Urges Domestic Pricing in Iron Ore Contracts

Train carriages wait to unload iron ore at Rio Tinto Group's port facility in Karratha, Western Australia.

Photographer: Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg

China’s top steel industry group has urged the state-backed iron ore trader, China Mineral Resources Group Co., to push for using domestic price benchmarks in supply talks with major miners including BHP Group and Rio Tinto Group.

A newly launched port-side spot price index should become a core pricing reference for the market, the China Iron and Steel Association said in a statement on its website on Saturday. It added CMRG should seek to use the gauge in long-term contract negotiations with major mining firms.