Have PE imports peaked in China?

14-Jul-06

Polyolefin imports in mainland China seem to have peaked and are unlikely to see large growth in future, and are seen to now enter a stage of decline. Capacity expansion in China's domestic segment will be adequate to satisfy increases in demand. PE and PP consumption in China are both expected to reach 12 million metric ton by 2010. China's PE imports reached its peak of approx 5.2 million metric ton in 2002, after which, volume of imports kept declining, and are expected to further dip in the coming three years. The proportion of China' PE imports are estimated to drop sharply from 60% of total demand in 2002 to 30% by 2009. China'ss PP imports are estimated to fall to about 30% of its total demand by 2010