Chinese top legislator Li Peng visited Saldanha Steel Plant outside Cape Town on November 19, showing great interest in its combined COREX-DR process that turns iron ore into steel sheets in just 16 hours.

Li Peng, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), was briefed on the technology in the demonstration room of the plant by Chief Executive Officer of the company Bernard Smith.

Smith told Li that the company's motto is to provide green steel products at a competitive price.

Li asked about measures the plant takes to ensure a pollution free production of steel and the coal it uses.

When he was told the plant uses coal containing12 percent of dust, Li showed kin interest in the dedusting process of the plant.

In the smelting shop, Li watched carefully the performance of the furnaces, and asked about the fineness of the grains of ore and coal in the furnaces as well as the process used to remove sulphur.

Showing his interest in the electrodes, the volume of the furnaces and the time needed for smelting, the NPC Chairman took out a pad to take notes.

Company officials were astonished by Li's knowledge in metallurgy. "His questions were specific and most of them were the right ones," Smith said, adding that "he understands the details."

Li is on an official good-will visit to South Africa, the second leg of his six Afro-Asian tour which will also take him to Kenya, Israel, Palestine and Oman. His first station is Mauritius. (Xinhua)