Worldsteel Director General Edwin Basson announced Zhang's appointment during a news conference after the association's 45th Annual Conference held here in Paris.

Zhang, 57, has served as general manager of Ansteel since January 2007. He also served as president of China Steel Industry Association from 2007 to 2009.

He was elected vice-president of Worldsteel last year, the first from the Chinese mainland to take this post.

Established in 1948, Ansteel posted in 2010 an output of over 30 millions tons of iron and steel respectively, and a revenue of more than 150 billions yuan ($23.6 billion).

The World Steel Association is one of the largest and most dynamic industry associations in the world, representing approximately 170 steel producers, national and regional steel industry associations, and steel research institutes. Its members produce around 85 percent of the world's steel.