Cooperation agreement signed by Hebei Iron & Steel Group and SMS Siemag AG

Hebei Iron & Steel Group Co. Ltd., China, have signed a strategy agreement for the supply of spare parts and after-sales services with SMS Siemag, a company of the SMS group, Germany.

The Hebei Iron & Steel Group was founded on June 30, 2008. It had a total production capacity of 31 million t of steel in 2008 and is thus China's No. 1 and the world's fifth largest steel producer.

Based on the excellent and longstanding cooperation between Hebei Iron & Steel Group's subsidiaries and SMS Siemag, the
present cooperation agreement is designed to optimize the Group's production reliability in world markets.