Taipei, May 14, 2008 (CENS)--A number of Taiwanese building-material makers are expected to benefit from the business opportunities deriving from the demand for the reconstruction works in the areas inflicted by the strong earthquake in Sichuan.

One noticeable item is steel, whose supply will be strained, due to the combination effect of the reconstruction demand and the suspension or scaling-down of production by the steel plants in the neighborhood of Beijing, for the sake of the Olympic Games.

Industry insiders predicted that third-quarter quotes of China Steel will advance at least 10%, or US$100 per metric ton.

Asia Cement has a cement factory in Chengdu of Sichuan, putting it in an advantage position to tap the reconstruction business opportunities. The plant is expected resume operation by Friday this week, following the suspension of its kilns to check the facilities. Taiwan Cement is also ready to supply to the reconstruction demand in Sichuan from its production bases in southern China.

In fact, the Sichuan earthquake has sent a shockwave throughout the international metal market. International zinc prices shot up 7.4% yesterday (May 13), when tin prices rose 1.4%, since Sichuan is a major production site for the two metals in China. China is the world`s largest zinc producer and poses as one of the two largest tin producers, alongside Indonesia.
(by Philip Liu)