China 2010 Steel Output Seen 620-630 Mln T - Minister

BEIJING, July 13 -- China is expected to produce 620-630 million tonnes of steel this year, Xinhua news agency quoted Industry Minister Li Yizhong as saying on Monday.

Last year China produced 567.8 million tonnes of crude steel, but output has accelerated this year, with 268.9 million tonnes produced in January-May, an average of about 1.78 million tonnes per day, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics.

For a total of 620-630 million tonnes, average daily steel production would have to slow to 1.64-1.69 million tonnes, 5.3-7.9 percent lower than in the first five months, according to Reuters calculations.