One of China's largest steelmakers,
Bao Steel of Shanghai, has acknowledged the purchase
of 50,000 tons of scrap metal salvaged from the
World Trade Center disaster site in New York.
An initial report in Beijing's "Youth
Daily" claimed that Bao Steel planned to turn
the WTC steel into souvenirs, "taking into
consideration the unique historical value and
commemorative significance" of the wreckage.
The souvenirs could be molded into the form of
miniature Twin Towers, the paper said.
But a spokeswoman for Bao Steel denied the
souvenir report, telling Agence France Presse,
"We have bought the scrap steel, but just for
recycling and reprocessing because the quality is
good. It was made in Japan. It's absolutely
impossible to make souvenirs because that will
affect the relations" between the U.S. and
China.
A ship carrying the Twin Tower scrap metal is
expected to arrive in China on Friday. Bao Steel
paid $120 per ton for the WTC scrap metal.
It is the only Chinese company to have purchased
steel salvaged from Ground Zero, AFP said.
