Praxair Begins New Plant Operation in Guangzhou

Praxair Begins New Plant Operation in Guangzhou

May 30, 2007

    SHANGHAI, May 30 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Praxair (China)
Investment Co., Ltd has started up a new 400-tons-per-day
air separation plant for LianZhong (GZ) Stainless Steel
Corp (LianZhong) in Guangzhou, South China.  LianZhong will
produce 800,000 tons per year of stainless steel to meet the
growing demands of the Chinese market. 

   The new Praxair plant, located in Guangzhou Economic and
Technology Development Zone, will supply high volumes of
high purity oxygen, nitrogen and argon to LianZhong via
pipeline.  The facility will also provide a supply of
merchant liquid products to other customers in the region.

    With five other large air separation plants already in
operation in Shaoguan and Huizhou, this sixth air
separation plant pushes Praxair's total investment in
Guangdong Province to over $100 million.  Praxair further
strengthens its position as the largest industrial gases
supplier in the region with unparalleled resources for
reliable supply of industrial gases.

    The supply to LianZhong also expands Praxair' customer
portfolio.  It is the first supply to the stainless steel
sector and the 26th large-scale project Praxair has built
in China.  Praxair is committed to serving China's fast
growing economy as its developing infrastructure demands
increased production from basic materials to electronics
components. 

    Commenting on the new plant, Mr. David Chow, Praxair
China president, said, "We have quickly and
successfully grown our business in southern China by
delivering fully integrated products and services to our
customers. The new plant broadens our already diversified
customer base and positions us for even further growth in
the region.  This is a testimony to the capabilities of
Praxair and a practical demonstration of what we can
achieve with the support of our customers and local
authorities."

   The new plant is a continuation of series of new
investments in China by Praxair.  Other recent
announcements of a 3,000-tons-per day plant for a
gasification process and a new facility for a semiconductor
fab in Shanghai are some of the projects in Praxair's
current investment pipeline.

    About LianZhong (Guangzhou) Stainless Steel
Corporation
Invested by Taiwan-based Yieh United Steel Corp, Lianzhong
(Guangzhou) Stainless Steel Corporation (LISCO) is a large
scale, modern integrated stainless steel production
enterprise approved by the State Council.  Designed with
the world' s most advanced cutting edge technology, LISCO
will be the first and best-integrated stainless steel
manufacturer in the Southern China. The plant will have
melting shop, continuous slab caster, hot strip mill and
cold rolling mill.  LISCO Project meets the strong demand
of economic growth in the area and will keep clean
production method to protect the environment.  Its design
has been granted as one of the Key Engineering Projects of
Guangdong Province in 2005 and also been listed as the
Encouraging Projects of State. 

    About Yieh United Steel Corporation (YUSCO)

    Yieh United Steel Corporation (YUSCO) was founded in
December 1988.  With total investment exceeding 40 billion
N.T. Dollars, YUSCO is the largest integrated stainless
steel mill in Southeast Asia and the world seventh largest
stainless steel producer.  The company is based in
Kaohsiung County, Southern Taiwan. 

    About Praxair China

    Praxair China, a subsidiary of Praxair, Inc., is a
leading global industrial gases supplier in China, serving
a diverse group of industries through the production, sale,
distribution and value-added application of industrial
gases.  With over 1000 employees across the country,
Praxair China, headquartered in Shanghai, operates 13
wholly owned companies and 11 joint ventures.  More
information on Praxair China is available on the Internet
at http://www.praxair.com.cn . 

    About Praxair

    With 27,000 employees and operations in more than 30
countries, Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX) is a global Fortune 500
company.  Praxair is the largest industrial gases company in
North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide,
with 2006 sales of $8.3 billion.  The company produces,
sells and distributes atmospheric and process gases and
high performance surface coatings. Praxair products,
services and technologies bring productivity and
environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries,
including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage,
electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and
others.  More information on Praxair in available on the
internet at http://www.praxair.com .


    For more information, please contact:

     Li Zhenmin 
     Director, Product Management and Marketing
     Praxair (China) Investment Co., Ltd. 
     Tel:   [phone] 
     Fax:   [phone] 
     Email: [e-mail]