Baoshan Iron & Steel Co, China's biggest steel maker, restarted its No. 1 blast furnace on February 16 as prices recovered, the China Iron and Steel Association said on its Website on Wednesday.

The firm closed the 3-million-ton-a-year furnace from September 1 for an overhaul and technical upgrade, Vice President Chen Ying said on October 9. The furnace was scheduled to reopen after 90 days, she said then. She wasn't immediately available for comment. Chinese steel makers, the largest in the world, cut production in the fourth quarter as demand from car makers and builders collapsed in the economic slowdown.

(Shanghai Daily February 26, 2009)