Jingye Group
Native name | 敬业集团 |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Steel industry |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Beijing |
Key people | Li Ganpo (chairman BoD) |
| Products | Sheet steel, plates, bars, concrete reinforcement, profiles, wire, rails, pipes |
| Revenue | ¥ 238 billion (2021, approx. €33 billion) |
Number of employees | 31,000 |
| Website | www |
Jingye Group (Chinese: 敬业集团) is a Chinese private steelmaker and long steel products company headquartered in Beijing. The group was also active in Europe from 2020 to 2026 through the acquisition of British Steel Limited.
Corporate affairs
[edit]Jingye is a major producer of concrete reinforcement, round bars, medium steel plates and galvanized and painted sheet steel. The Chinese construction sector is a major customer but the group also exports globally.
In addition to steel production, the group is also active in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, international trade, finance, logistics, tourism, holiday resorts and hotels, real estate and 3D printing with metal powder.
History
[edit]In 1985, former teacher Li Ganpo founded a privately owned canning factory and a brewery in Pingshan, not far from Beijing. Three years later, he founded the Jingye chemical factory. The word "jingye" means "dedication".[1]
In 2002, the group also entered steel production and developed activities in other sectors such as transport and tourism. The production of steel and processed steel products grew to become the group's core business. The company also built roads, houses and schools, and provided health care and higher education for its employees and the community. From 2008, Li also served on the 11th National People's Congress.[1]
In 2020, Jingye acquired British Steel out of insolvency, preserving around 3,200 jobs at the Scunthorpe steelworks and other UK operations. Following the takeover, Jingye said it invested more than £1.2 billion to maintain British Steel's operations amid difficult market conditions, tariffs, and rising environmental costs. By 2025, the company stated that British Steel was losing around £700,000 per day as negotiations with the UK government over support for new electric arc furnaces failed.[2]
In 2025, the British government took control of a steel mill owned by Jingye citing national security reasons.[3][4] The Economist questioned the strength of the national security rationale, noting that much of the steel used by Britain's defence industry was already imported including "steel for submarine hulls and thin-plate shipbuilding" and that British steelworks themselves relied heavily on imported raw materials.[5]
On 16 July 2026, the UK government brought British Steel into public ownership under the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act 2026 to prevent the closure of the Scunthorpe Steelworks.[6][7] In response, China's Ministry of Commerce expressed strong dissatisfaction with the nationalisation, describing the takeover as a "severe blow" to the confidence of Chinese firms investing in the UK.[8] An independent assessor is to decide whether Jingye should be compensated.[9]
Plants
[edit]| Company | Location | Acquisition | Products | Crude steel capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jingye Steel | Shijiazhuang | n.a. | bars, plates, sheet steel | 12 mt/year[10] |
| (Inner Mongolia) Ulanhot Steel | Ulanhot | 2014 | concrete reinforcement, round bars | 1.05 mt/year[11] |
| Yunnan Jingye Steel (Yunnan Yongchang Steel) | Anning | 2020 | concrete reinforcement | 1.7 mt/year[12] |
| Guangdong Jingye Steel (Guangdong Taidu Steel) | Jieyang | 2020 | concrete reinforcement | 1.2 mt/year[13] |
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Who is Li Ganpo the new owner of British Steel and chairman of the Jingye Group?". GrimsbyLive. 14 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ↑ Pylas, Pan (27 March 2025). "British Steel plans closure of plant after failing to agree package with UK government". Associated Press.
- ↑ "British government takes over running of UK's last major steel plant from Chinese owner Jingye". CNN. 12 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
- ↑ Landler, Mark (15 April 2025). "A Crisis at a British Steel Mill Has Cast a Shadow Over U.K.-China Relations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ↑ "Steelmanning". The Economist. 19 April 2025.
- ↑ Kirka, Danica (16 July 2026). "UK nationalizes Chinese-owned British Steel to protect nation's steelmaking capacity". Associated Press. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ "Government brings British Steel into public ownership to protect UK steelmaking". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ Hoskins, Peter (17 July 2026). "China hits out at British Steel nationalisation". BBC News. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ Sekulich, Harry; Mitchell, Archie (16 July 2026). "British Steel taken into public ownership to protect 'vital' UK supply". BBC News. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ "Jingye Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. plant". Global Energy Monitor. 11 June 2022. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ↑ "Wulanhot Steel Co., Ltd. plant". Global Energy Monitor. 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ↑ "Yunnan Jingye Steel Co., Ltd. plant". Global Energy Monitor. 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ↑ "Guangdong Jingye Steel Co., Ltd. plant". Global Energy Monitor. 17 November 2021. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.