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China’s polymer imports down in Q1, March figures surge

by ChemOrbis Editorial Team - content@chemorbis.com
  • 29/04/2016 (14:35)
According to data from Chinese Customs, the country’s total polymer imports witnessed a decrease of 11% on a yearly basis to reach 4,056,870 tons in the first quarter of 2016. First quarter imports were also down by around 6% when compared to the October-December period.

Data shows that China imported 1,657,380 tons of polymers in March alone. This figure indicates a 54% jump on a month over month basis as the country’s polymer imports were reduced in February owing to the Chinese New Year holidays. On the other hand, the country’s March imports are down by around 16% when compared to the same month of 2015.

The top five polymer exporters to China in March were Iran (257,799 tons), South Korea (243,429 tons), Saudi Arabia (208,395 tons), Taiwan (194,474 tons) and Singapore (133,677 tons). In March, the country’s polymer imports from Iran surged 43% on the month.

The country’s LDPE imports surged 54% on a month over month basis to reach 232,146 tons in March. Iran was the top LDPE supplier to China with 80,685 tons, followed by Qatar (29,398 tons). In the first quarter of the year, the country imported 563,178 tons of LDPE, up by around 6.6% from a year earlier.

China’s HDPE imports jumped around 57% from February to reach 537,874 tons in March while imports decreased by 10% when compared to the same month of 2015. Iran was the top supplier to China with 156,787 tons, followed by Saudi Arabia (91,465 tons), the United Arab Emirates (77,389 tons) and South Korea (53,630 tons). In the January-March period, China’s total HDPE imports reached 1,266,488 tons, down by 4.3% on a year over year basis.

According to data, the country’s March LLDPE imports surged 54% on the month to reach 250,587 tons. On the year, however, imports were down by 20%. Singapore was the top supplier to China with 52,659 tons, followed by Saudi Arabia (45,590 tons) and Thailand (34,791 tons). China imported a total of 598,553 tons of LLDPE, which indicates an 11% decline on the year.

Imports for homo-PP rose 31% on the month to reach 265,650 tons in March while a year over year basis comparison shows a decrease of 32%. South Korea stood at the top of the homo-PP import list with 80,067 tons, followed by Saudi Arabia (49,270 tons) and Singapore (34,444 tons). In the first three months of 2016, the country’s homo-PP imports slumped by 27% to reach 685,126 tons.

PP copolymer imports posted an increase of 31% from a month earlier to reach 123,579 tons in March. On a yearly basis, the country imported 21% less PP copolymer. Taiwan was the top exporter to China with 34,717 tons, followed by Singapore (30,465 tons) and South Korea (19,073 tons). Data shows that China’s PP copolymer imports reached 314,896 tons in the first quarter of 2016, down 13% on the year.

China imported 59,654 tons of PVC in March. This indicates an increase of 39% from February. However, on a yearly basis, the country’s PVC imports are down by 27%. The top PVC exporter to China in March was the United States (22,794 tons), followed by Taiwan (18,570 tons) and Japan (13,503 tons). Looking at the figures for the first three months of the year, the country’s PVC imports reached 158,202 tons, down by 29% on a year over year basis.

Imports for PS jumped 39% on the month to reach 45,309 tons in March while they retreated by 23% from a year earlier. Taiwan was the top PS exporter to China with 17,847 tons, followed by Hong Kong with 6,140 tons. In the first quarter, the country’s PS imports decreased around 22% on a year over year basis to 109,852 tons.

China’s ABS imports for March surged 57% on a monthly basis to reach 352,984 tons in March. Imports were also up by around 5% on the year. Taiwan stood on top of the ABS import list with 75,234 tons, followed by South Korea (46,110 tons). Meanwhile, the first quarter results show that the country’s ABS imports slightly fell by 1.7% from a year earlier to reach 352,984 tons.
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