China’s cumulative imports through May remain under 2009

Amidst an admitted slowdown in economic growth in China, the country’s plastics imports are showing the strain. Cumulative imports through May 2012 reached a figure of 6.255 million tons. This figure is below cumulative imports as of May 2011, 2010 and 2009.

In May 2009, the cumulative figure had been at 6.956 million tons. Imports dropped over the following two years with the cumulative May figure at 6.921 million tons in 2010 and at 6.349 million tons in 2011 before slumping to this year’s figure of 6.255 million.

Looking solely at imports which arrived in May, they were up compared to April 2012, and higher than May 2011, but below the May figures in 2009 and 2010.

Homo PP imports were up slightly from April at 269,510 tons. The top ten suppliers to the country were Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, UAE, India, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, United States and Brazil through the first five months.

LDPE imports were also up compared to April at 122,820 tons. The top ten suppliers were Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Russia, Qatar, United States, Japan, Thailand, and Germany.

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Import Statistics for China by Product (For members only)

Import Statistics for China by Country (For members only)

PVC imports were also higher than April at 77,408 tons. The top seven suppliers were the United States, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and Germany.

PS imports were at 82,199 tons, up from the April figure. The top ten suppliers were Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, United States, Saudi Arabia, and India.